


They are Among Us

by lilbabyjenjen



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fear of Death, Fluff, Good ending?, How Do I Tag, Mistrust, Multi, Murder, Mystery, One-Sided Relationship, Outer Space, Trauma, Violence, a rollercoaster of emotions, constant fighting, how do i tag... like seriously, no beta we die like daichi, they die.. but not everyone, uh enjoy haha, you cant trust anyone in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 26,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27172609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilbabyjenjen/pseuds/lilbabyjenjen
Summary: The Karasuno crew after three years of strenuous training are finally able to start with their first mission to Polus to start on an experiment. They have bonded well and they have became more of family than friends. Yet, it took only one day for them to realise that among them, were people who were not meant to be. 'Who they are?' is a question that won't have an instant answer. They'll have to find out on their own.Until someone among them, starts killing one by one.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kinoshita Hisashi/Narita Kazuhito, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 81
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fears of a loyal and dedicated captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karasuno Crew:
> 
> Sawamura Daichi [BLK_01] 
> 
> Sugawara Koushi [CYN_02]
> 
> Azumane Asahi [BRW_03]
> 
> Nishinoya Yuu [YLW_04]
> 
> Tanaka Ryuunosuke [RED_05]
> 
> Ennoshita Chikara [WHT_06]
> 
> Kinoshita Hisashi [PNK_07]
> 
> Narita Kazuhito [PRL_08]
> 
> Kageyama Tobio [BLU_09]
> 
> Hinata Shoyo [ORG_10]
> 
> Tsukishima Kei [LME_11]
> 
> Yamaguchi Tadashi [GRN_12]

_"I'm sorry that this is happening again."_

  


Sawamura Daichi stopped twirling on his chair. He looked at the computer screen, horrified. The woman behind the screen scratched the back of her head. Daichi turned his chair to truly face the computer.

  


"Again? You mean this has happened before?" He whispered.

  


" _It happens everytime. We just… I don't know, Sawamura. No matter how tight our security is, these imposters tend to infiltrate through."_ She sighed. _"Until now, we still have yet to find out who is behind all this."_

  


Daichi looked at her incredulously. "How long has this been going through? How did you not tell me this or the team that this will happen before we sign the agreement?"

  


_"The experiment has to go on, Sawamura."_

  


Scientists and their fascination to discover. The captain sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It's been three days since they took off and only now, he was informed of the infiltration of imposters in the crew. He sighed again.

  


"I'll tell the crew." He murmured.

  


_"No!"_ The lady exclaimed, scared.

  


"Why not?"

  


_"It's dangerous. I'm telling you this because I personally chose you for the mission. I know I can trust you."_

  


Daichi fidgeted with his fingers. "I can't even tell Suga?"

  


_"For now, don't. Just inform me everything that happens. Mishaps, accidents, sabotages…. murders…"_ The lady spoke, her voice slowly muttering away.

  


"What?"

  


_"Just tell me immediately. Don't think about anything else. Anything suspicious, inform me. I'll be always on the call so don't ever forget to call me in case anything happens."_

  


He ran a hand through his hair, biting his lip, thinking hard. It hit him hard when he heard the news. Imposters in his crew? One? Two? Three? How many? They have bonded well during training, he couldn't believe that among them, are people who were tasked to stop them from continuing the experiment. 

  


"Okay. I'll do that."

  


_"Thank you, Sawamura. I have to go now. Be careful and stay aware."_ The lady said.

  


"I will."

  


The call ended and Daichi felt like the world was ending. His life was in danger. The team's life is in danger. He closed the computer and stood up, his legs numb from sitting too long. He looked out of the window of the ship, wondering how long will it take for them to find these imposters among them. Dragging his feet, Daichi walked to the door and pressed the door to open it, jerking back at the sight of Sugawara Koushi standing in front.

  


"You look stressed. Are you okay?" Asked the vice-captain. 

  


"I'm…. fine.." _No, I'm not._ "Just a lengthy meeting."

  


Koushi smiled. "Okay. There is food ready in the cafeteria. Let's go."

  


Silently Daichi trailed behind. The two went down the stairs to the first floor silently, which was then interrupted with chaotic screams from the team. Their very energetic newbies, Hinata Shoyou and Kageyama Tobio were chasing one another across the cafeteria floor. They're 24 but mentally 10. Daichi pressed his lips into a thin line. 

  


Could they be the imposters?

  


But they are too sweet.

  


He scanned the crew, looking from each one. Could it be Azumane Asahi? He’s too soft. Tanaka Ryuunosuke couldn’t be right? He has a family back home. Tsukkishima Kei? Yamaguchi Tadashi? Nishinoya Yuu? The captain could feel the pressure coming. What kind of captain would he be if he’s going to put innocent people in danger? Ennoshita Chikara? Hisashi Kinoshita? Kazuhito Narita? The three had been awfully close to one another. If one of them was the impostor, wouldn’t it hurt?

  


“Daichi?”

  


The said man snapped out of his thoughts. He faced Koushi who sent him a worried look. “You okay? You dazed off for a moment.”

  


“Ah, I must have worried you.” Daichi said, scratching the back of his neck as he smiled sheepishly. “I’m just a bit tired.”

  


Koushi smiled back. “Wake up, old man. You’re the captain.” He said, smacking the Daichi’s back. “You’re probably hungry. Let’s eat.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  


  


  


  


Four days have passed and nothing happened so far. Ms Kanami, their leader-in-charge of the mission, had called in every night, ensuring that she got updates. Daichi managed to keep it secret, though his worries kept heightening every hour. He sat on his bed, deep in thought. It’s been a week already and they are expected to land on Polus in another two weeks.

  


“You’re spacing out again.” 

  


Daichi looked up to see Koushi leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. He put on a smile. 

  


“Just thinking.” He mumbled. 

  


Koushi rolled his eyes, his lips curled into a fond smile. “Okay, you’ve been thinking a lot these days. Has the lack of sunlight been affecting your brain?” He joked, putting his hands into the pockets of his cyan pants. 

  


Everyone had a suit of a certain color, to ease identification. It is also written in their tag, for example Koushi’s ID was **CYN_02.** They don’t wear their full suits most of the time in the ship. It would be so uncomfortable and stuffy so they’d go around in their pants while having a black shirt on. What’s most important is to show their colour, as stated by the rules.

  


“Maybe.”

  


“You don’t seem okay.” Koushi commented, frowning.

  


“I’m just tired.” Daichi lied. _I’m worried. People are going to die._

  


Koushi shook his head. “I know you the longest than anyone else in this crew.” He insisted. “What’s in your mind?”

  


The captain was conflicted. He couldn't tell Koushi straight off the bat that there had been an infiltration of people in their crew and that there is a possibility that he would die or the entire team would die. He knew Koushi was reading his every move, from his body language to the shifting of his eyes. What could he do? They have known each other since high school. He then sighed. 

  


“I’m just worried about our first mission.” Daichi said, lying through his teeth again.

  


The other man smiled comfortingly. “Stop worrying, goddammit. We trained enough! All we have to do is get to Polus and complete the experiment, whatever they want us to do.”

  


“True, but I’m still ever worried.”

  


“What’s worrisome is you right now.” 

  


In a blink of an eye, Koushi tackled Daichi down, jabbing his fingers onto the captain’s sides. He laughed when Daichi shouted in shock, continuing to attack the other at any given opportunity. The poor man gave up eventually and so did Koushi, sitting at the edge of the bed, an amused smile on his face.

  


“That’s better. I don’t need to see a worrywart version of Sawamura Daichi during this mission. If you want to mop around, do that when we head back to Earth.” Koushi teased, sticking his tongue out.

  


Daichi snickered. “Yeah sure. You should go and sleep. It’s nighttime in Japan now.”

  


Koushi nodded, getting off the bed. “I’ll be going.” He informed, walking out before pausing right before the door. “And don’t even think of worrying about anything once I leave.”

  


“Okay okay! I’m positive already.”

  


The vice-captain giggled. “Good night!”

The door swung back close automatically. Daichi’s smile then fell. He can’t get the worry out of his head. Sighing, he pulled up the covers and turned off the lights. He laid on his back and stared at the window behind him, looking at the stars igniting far away in the pitch black darkness of outer space. His heart felt heavy and it had gone heavier and heavier until it felt like it would crush at any moment. He closed his eyes after a few deep breaths to calm down, ignoring the tears that had formed.

  


“You will live.” He murmured to himself before slowly drifting to sleep. "The innocent ones will live."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh also, the characters are aged between 24-26 !!

"Oi, Hinata, Boke!"

Tobio yelled angrily as his orange haired friend fell on his butt, laughing. He grunted and turned back to his sample, making sure if the samples were made of the ingredients needed. If not, it would turn red. Then the anomaly will be disposed. 

"Aw, entertain me." Shoyo complained, whining as he sat adorably on one of the medical beds. 

"I'm busy, Hinata. Why don't you help someone out?" Tobio mumbled. 

"I'm pretty sure everyone has their own jobs right now."

"Then help Asahi-san with refueling the reactors. Lessen his load." 

Shoyo pouted. "Mean."

Tobio rolled his eyes and turned his attention back on his samples behind the hood. He pressed the button to remove the anomaly and took out another batch of samples. It's a boring task to do, but it was part of his job that he's in charge of all the samples. In space the samples may change due to different pressure states and other physical conditions thus it was important to keep checking them.

"I'll go talk to Yamaguchi. See ya." Shoyo excused himself out of Medbay.

The dark haired male hummed a reply. He kept his attention fixed on his samples when the door closed on him. He blinked, wondering who had closed the door. Was it Shoyo? He put his samples down and walked to the door, pressing the button to open it. The doors tend to block communication between each crewmate because of the thick walls. He sighed when the door swung open, retreating back to the hood.

"It's 2020 yet the technology they use still suck ass." Tobio grumbled.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


Tadashi happily munched on his snack bar as he watched his favourite drama he downloaded before they took off. He leaned against his bed, getting himself comfortable when his room's door swung open, startling him. 

"Hinata… Please knock next time." He said.

Shoyo laughed and threw himself onto the poor man, who groaned under his weight. If the crew were to be honest, their weight had somewhat decreased due to the decrease in gravity but what made each other's mass more heavier thus giving a stronger impact, was the suit. The bottom part of the suit, including the boots were heavy enough on its own yet underneath the cloth were wires. There are chips in there too, so that their position in the ship could be identified. 

"Gosh, sometimes I wish we can take out our pants." Tadashi complained.

"Yeah, it's so heavy…" Shoyo whined.

The other rolled off Tadashi finally, lying down on his back. They laid on bed quietly as they watched the remaining minutes of the drama. Tadashi and Shoyo's tasks were not so significant in the Skeld ship but a lot more in Polus. Once they get to their destination, Tadashi and Shoyo would be able to start on their work immediately. They could spend a lot of time relaxing while the others do their jobs.

"Ah, that's all for today I guess." Tadashi said, putting his phone down. 

And instantly, Shoyo started a conversation… about volleyball. Again. Shoyo had always had a fascination towards the sport and had played it throughout his school life. Only fate told him, he was not made to live a volleyball career life. Tadashi listened to Shoyo go all about the Little Giant, rambling about how amazing it was. Tadashi himself started to pick up the fascination towards volleyball ever since he met Shoyo. He stared out the window by his bed and looked at the little stars and planets that were miles away from them when something caught his attention. 

"Hinata.." He called.

"And his spikes went baam! And everyone was like woah! And then I was lik-"

"Hinata. We are heading to Polus, right?"

Shoyo finally stopped talking. "Yeah, why?"

Tadashi sat up straight and looked out the window, eyes scanning the little shiny dots across the galaxy. "Then… why are we at the other side of the system?"

The smaller male got on his elbows and blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Those stars over there. It's literally the other side of the system. We're heading down South of the planet system while Polus is at the North."

"Huh?"

Tadashi crawled off the bed and grabbed the walkie talkie off his table. He put it near his lips and pressed the button, eyes still fixed at the view outside the window.

"Daichi-san." He spoke.

After a few seconds of static, Daichi responded. 

_"Yes, Yamaguchi?"_

"Did we get orders to change our course?" He asked, noticing how silent Shoyo had been.

_"No. Why? Is anything wrong?"_

"We are going into the wrong direction. Instead of heading North, we're heading South."

Daichi didn't respond for a while. _"Who handled navigation?"_

Hisashi answered. _"Me. I left it on auto-pilot since we stabilised. I have not touched it since."_

_"Okay. There must have been a mishap then."_ The captain assumed. _"Can you fix it back?"_

_"I'm a bit busy at the moment. I'm helping Asahi-san refuel the engines."_

_"Okay, anyone near Navigation and knows how to do it other than Kinoshita?"_

A few seconds till Kei spoke into the radio. _"I am. I'll chart course back to normal."_

_"Alright. Yamaguchi, thank you for pointing out."_ Daichi said, his voice ever authoritative as always. _"We won't have enough fuel for the engines if this continues."_

Tadashi blushed. "N-No problem."

Shoyo stifled back a laugh when he saw Tadashi turn into a deep red at the praise. The line went dead and everyone went back to their tasks. Tadashi and Shoyo decided to help their crewmates instead of just hanging around doing nothing, headed downstairs to the main floor. Meanwhile Kei charted the ship back to the original course, putting them in the right track.

"Ah, Tsukki." Tadashi called, smiling widely as he walked into Navigations. "Need help?"

Kei glanced at the other man for a second before paying back his attention to the wheel. "Stabilise the ship for me."

Tadashi,as always, nodded and did what he was told. He's always looked up to Kei since they first met. Kei advanced quickly during their training and Tadashi couldn't stop himself from admiring his crewmate. He sat on the chair and watched as Kei turned the ship around.

"Stop staring at me." Kei said.

"O-Oh. G-Gomen, Tsukki."

Tadashi's cheeks were painted a soft pink as he looked away. He stared out into space (no pun intended) until Kei finally put it back in the right track.

"Done." Kei mumbled to himself.

Wordlessly Kei left Navigation while Tadashi trailed behind him, obediently following the other male around the ship. Meanwhile in Reactors, Yuu sat crossed legged on the floor, disturbing Asahi whenever he could. Ever since Hisashi left after helping out with refueling, Yuu had _not_ stop bothering him.

"ASAHI-SAN!" Yuu yelled, startling the man again.

The taller man sighed. "Noya, I forgot the sequence again." He said softly. "Like this, I won't be able to restart the reactors."

Yuu laughed and got up from the floor, hugging the large man from the back. "Okay, okay. I'll help you." He said, peeking from the side to see the sequence start its new set. 

Asahi blushed and tried to focus on the sequence while his whole face and neck burned. Yuu was a clingy man in nature and would be up for any skinship at any time. Asahi on the other hand was not. He wouldn't reject it, of course, he would just combust inside.

"Seriously, though. Who in the world would do a Simon Says system to start the reactor?" Yuu commented, lips pursed. "I am not even the one in charge of reactors yet I'm getting pissed."

"Don't ask me, haha." Asahi mumbled. "I didn't build this stupid ship."

The smaller man laughed and watched quietly as Asahi started the reactor- _finally._ "Damn, we should suggest a new way to start a reactor." He said, shaking his head and letting go of the other. "An organisation of fifteen years yet the technology here sucks."

Asahi hummed an agreement. He moved about in the reactor, carefully making sure the power from the reactors are properly directed to the engines. It was true, it pisses him off sometimes too. The Skeld was a ship that needed continuous fixing. For example, the reactors needed to restart every 16 hours. It's troublesome but what can they do?

"Anyways, I-"

Halfway through Yuu's sentence, the lights shut down. Immediately the emergency lights were turned on, beams of red lighting up the halls. Yuu blinked. He grabbed his radio and talked to it.

"Oi. What happened?"

_"Well, looks like we're in a blackout. Thank God it wasn't a power trip."_ Ryuu, the electrical specialist among them, spoke into the radio.

_"Can you get it back up?"_ Daichi asked _._

_"I'd head over to Electrical and check."_

_"Okay, I'll come with you."_

Yuu sighed and hooked his radio back to his belt. He ran a hand through his hair. 

"Let's help them." He said, facing the door.

Asahi stayed quiet and still. His eyes were fixed in the dimly lit hallway. Yuu frowned.

"Hey, if you're scared of the dark, don't worry, you'll be fine. I am with you." He assured, extending his hand.

The taller male smiled, his eyes visibly shaking. He nodded and grabbed it. 

"Okay." Asahi whispered, taking Yuu's hand.

The duo then walked into the dark corridors, on their way to Electrical, not noticing a shining lone red beam hiding in the shadows as they made their way to their destination in the darkness and silence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the darkness of the Skeld

It was dark and the red lights were not doing much justice. Chikara fumbled with his belt in the dark, trying to get hold of both his flashlight and radio. He was relaxing upstairs in his room when the lights went out. He let out a sigh of relief when he managed to unbuckle the flashlight from his belt, immediately flashing across the room. 

Shivers ran down his spine.

“For some reason, it feels like the air is cold.” Chikara muttered. 

He walked out of his room and carefully went down the stairs to the main level where most of them were at. The stairs led him straight to the cafeteria where shone a few flashlights in the dark. 

_ “I think there is something wrong with the wires. I tried flipping the switches but nothing’s coming back up.”  _ Ryuu informed.  _ “Can you help me check the wires across the ship? The wires for light especially.” _

Koushi, who stood in the middle of the cafeteria along with the crowd, pressed the button to talk into the radio. “Sure. Will do.”

“What’s going on?” Chikara asked, noticing Tadashi sitting on one of the tables, shaking. “You okay?”

Tadashi nodded. “The dark is just unsettling. That’s all.”

“I don’t know. All we have to do is check.” Koushi sighed. “I’m surprised something like this had happened.”

_ “Ah, the wires in Electrical were rigged.”  _ Ryuu commented.  _ “While I fix this, can you guys check and inform me which places have gone wrong?” _

_ “I and Asahi will head to Security. We’re closest here for now.”  _ Nishinoya said.

Shoyo and Tobio walked into Cafeteria from Medbay, their flashlights shining before them. Koushi snapped his fingers for their attention and pointed to the wiring in Cafeteria that was not so far away from where the duo stood.

“Check the wires.” He ordered, before scanning the crowd. “Wait, where’s Daichi?” He asked.

“He’s with Tanaka in Electrical.” Kei stated, moving away from the crowd. “I’ll check the wires in Admin and Storage.”

“I’ll head to Navigation then.” Kazuhito said, pointing his flashlight to the right side of the ship.

Hisashi did the same, “I’ll follow you.”

Silence engulfed them. Koushi bit his nail as he watched Chikara comfort Tadashi who was not dealing with the dark well. The creak of rusty hinges echoed in the silent cafeteria as Shoyo and Tobio opened it. 

“Tanaka-san, which wires should we check?” Shoyo asked, confused at the amount of different sized and coloured wires. “There’s a lot to see.”

_ “Ah, don’t touch anything. Check if the blue, yellow, pink and red wires are still intact.”  _ Ryuu responded. 

_ “It’s messed up here in Security.” _

_ “It’s fine in Navigation.” _

_ “It’s a mess in Admin. Storage is fine.” _

“Cafeteria is fine.”

They could hear Ryuu sighing.  _ “Well, looks like I’m the electrical specialist for a reason. I’ll go fix it.”  _ He said.  _ “WHO THE HELL MESSED IT UP?!” _ He shouted, clearly upset at the problem.

Koushi fiddled with his radio. “Do you need help? I might know a bit of wiring stuff.”

_ “I appreciate the concern but it’s best not for you to mess up.”  _ Ryuu said before laughing.  _ "Hinata! Kageyama! Want to see me do some wiring magic?" _

Shoyo gleamed at the offer and tugged Tobio's arm. "Yes! Where are you?!"

“Hinata, are you even 24?” Tobio mumbled.

“Ask yourself that too.” 

_ "Admin. Tsukki is here with me." _

_ "Tanaka-san, please don't call me that."  _ Said Kei from the back.

"Nice! We're coming!" 

Chikara chuckled. "He really knows how to keep the kids preoccupied." 

“What about Daichi?” Koushi asked, ignoring the other's comment.

_ “Ah, I’ll just stay in Electrical and wait till I can flip the switch to turn back all the lights.”  _ Daichi replied. 

Koushi’s stiff posture relaxed. “Okay. I’ll stay here with Chikara. Tadashi doesn’t seem to be doing so well in the dark."

_ "Take good care of Tadashi, yeah?"  _ Daichi said.  _ "Take care of yourself too." _

"I will."

Daichi sounded off, Koushi realised. He stared at the radio for a while before putting it down, hooking it to his belt. He grabbed a cup of water from the dispenser nearby and handed it to Tadashi, who gladly accepted it, taking the cup with trembling hands. 

"Feeling better now?" Chikara asked, patting his back.

Tadashi managed to pull a small smile. "A bit."

Minutes passed and over time, Tadashi had fallen asleep in Chikara's arms. Hisashi and Kazuhito were back in Cafeteria, talking among themselves. Kei too, sitting across Koushi paced back and forth. 

Something was off. 

He knew it. Who messed up the wires? Could it be intentional? It would feel weird if it was accidental. Three electrical boxes ruined? Too much of a coincidence was it? He bit his nails nervously. He grabbed his radio and spoke into it.

"Tanaka. Where are you?" He asked.

_ "Security. Why?"  _

Koushi nibbled his lip. "Nothing."

He looked at Chikara who was casually listening to Hisashi and Kazuhito talk. He looked deep into the darkness of the corridor that leads to Storage which would then branch to the left and right side of the ship. 

"Am I the only one finding this a bit strange?" He mumbled to himself.

"You're not the only one, Suga-san." Chikara commented, laughing lightly. "But I believe Tanaka can settle this."

"Okay." 

In another ten minutes, Koushi supposed that Ryuu had finished fixing. He sat up straight and took out his radio.

"Tanaka?"

_ "The wires here are an ass. I'm about to finish."  _ Ryuu said, his words in a mumble as he focused on fixing the wires.

The vice captain could hear the little snip snip coming from the other side, as well as Shoyo and Noya trying to tell Asahi that the dark is fine. He sighed and hooked the radio back.

"Looks like Tanaka is about to be done. I'll head to Electrical first then. I'm sure Daichi is lonely on the other side." Koushi said, getting up.

After getting four nods of acknowledgement, Koushi walked into the darkness, shining his flashlight. The red emergency lights weren't doing any justice to improve his vision. His steps softly thumped onto the floor as he walked into Storage. He then took a turn to the right. 

"Daichi, what are you alone doing in the darkness? Getting bored?” He teased, knowing that his voice will echo into the corridor, eventually loud enough for anyone in Electrical to hear.

_ “Okay, it’s set!”  _ Ryuu yelled.  _ “Daichi-san, you can flip the switch now.” _

Koushi, upon hearing the status from Ryuu, turned off his flashlight and waited for the lights to turn on. A few seconds passed. Still in darkness. Koushi frowned and flicked his flashlight on, walking to Electrical. 

_ “Daichi-san? Do you know which one to flip? It’s the second one to your left.” _

No response. Koushi rushed to Electrical and checked around him as he stepped in. The switch system was right by the door. Shouldn’t Daichi be here? He took out his radio and clicked onto the button.

“He probably went to the bathroom.” Koushi said. “I’ll turn it on. The second on to my left, you say?” 

_ “Did he have to use the bathroom now? Tsk. Anyways, yeah that’s the switch.”  _ Ryuu guided.  _ “Just flip it. The lights should be on by then.” _

As ordered, the vice-captain flipped the switch and slowly one by one the lights turned on. He looked up at the Electrical light flickering, his hand still on the switch. It took awhile for it to stop and it was just enough time for Koushi to realise that the switch he was touching was sticky. Electrical was lit up bright, every corner of the room visible to see. Koushi’s lips curved into a small smile before diverting his attention to the switch system, when his face fell.

Shocked, Koushi gasped and fell on his bottom. Below him felt wet and Koushi dared to look down. He let out a shaky breath, his body trembling as he eyed the thick liquid underneath him. His blood ran cold as he looked back up to see the same liquid of the same consistency and color splattered all across the switch system. He couldn’t breathe. He grabbed his radio and moved backwards, his trembling lips hovering right over the radio’s microphone.

_ “Great! The lights are back on!” _

But before he could do anything else, his eyes fell on the trail of dark thick liquid that lead deeper into the room. With wobbly legs, he got on his feet. His hand turned clammy as he walked further in then turned to the corner. His heart stopped and the radio slipped through his fingers, clattering as it fell on the floor.

Blood.

_ “Suga-san?” _

More blood.

_ “Suga-san, can you hear me?” _

More and more blood.

_ “Suga-san!” _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slipping between his fingers

"My name is Sawamura Daichi from Izumitate Junior High! I joined Karasuno to enter Nationals!"

He said with his heart full of determination. The third years and second years looked at one another, uncertainty on their faces. After a few seconds had passed, the captain smiled and laughed, punching his fists into the air as he replied to Daichi's introduction, saying that they aim to enter Nationals like they do every year. 

"Hi." 

Daichi looked up from setting the net, eyes falling on the silver-haired male. Sugawara Koushi was his name. He certainly remembered the name when he introduced himself as a setter to the third and second years. He shot a smile.

"Hi." Daichi replied back.

"Can I be honest?" Koushi whispered, eyeing the third years who were discussing something at one corner. "I feel like this team is falling apart."

Daichi looked at where Koushi had his eyes on. "Maybe. I mean, Coach Ukai just retired right? I'm pretty sure we can pick ourselves up again."

"What if we don't?"

"We will."

It's the determination in Daichi's voice that got Koushi motivated again. The both of them practiced a lot, definitely more than their seniors did. No other schools wanted to contact them, unfortunately. Two years passed of ultimate failure, their goals not reached. That is until they got their hands on four talented first years who brought them up to success. They didn't win Nationals, but Koushi and Daichi were glad they even managed to play in the Nationals games. As captain and vice-captain, that was by far the best thing they've done together.

College passed in a flash, Koushi and Daichi skipping a year because they were pure geniuses. Finding a job wasn't difficult with their qualifications. They got a job together, working for a space company who handles experiments up in space. They trained together and no one could deny that the two of them were attached by the hip. 

“Suga.” Daichi said, standing in front of the office door to their superior.

Koushi hummed.

“Whatever there is for us on the other side, I hope it’s good news.” 

Koushi laughed and punched the other hard on the arm. “Shut it you worrywart. All I could think of is that we will finally be able to proceed with the mission.”

“Hopefully.”

Koushi’s face turned into a scowl. “Oi. Stop thinking so negatively. One more time you talk negatively, I’m gonna kick your ass. If that doesn’t work, you owe me ramen.”

Daichi chuckled. “Okay, okay. I’m positive.”

“Good. Let’s go in, shall we?”

“Let’s.”

Their mission started from there. Three years of tireless training will officially be put into worth and it’s finally time for them to be sent off to space to complete an experiment.

And come back home safe after the mission was accomplished.

_ …. Come back home safe….. _

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


_ “Suga-san!”  _

“D-Daichi.”

Koushi fell on his knees, his hands touching the pool of blood below him. He was frozen, his eyes widened as his body was seized by fear. Terror sealed his throat. 

_ Scream, Suga, Scream! _

“D-Daichi…” He gasped, his voice barely above a whisper.

_ Scream! _

“No, f-f- Daichi..”

_ SCREAM! _

“Daichi!” Koushi screamed, unlocking his frozen limbs from their places as he crawled to the body leaning against the wall, bloodied from head to toe.

The captain, who managed to open his eyes, crooked up a weak smile. Koushi scrambled for his radio and screamed into it,

“ELECTRICAL! SOMEONE GET TO ELECTRICAL! DAICHI’S HURT!” He shouted, his voice shaking. “Shit! Who did this to you?”

“I couldn’t see… It was dark.”

There were cuts everywhere. His arms, his shoulders… and most importantly his abdomen. Koushi’s eyes burned with tears. There was no way they could save him. 

Koushi told himself he can.

“Put pressure on it! Hold it tight!” Koushi said desperately, forcing Daichi’s hand to press against the wound at the stomach. “It’ll stop the bleeding!”

Daichi didn’t put any effort into it. Koushi looked up, horrified at how pale his best friend was. The man was bleeding to his death but kept up a smile, as if to assure the vice-captain that he was okay.

“Suga..” Daichi whispered, raising a bloodied hand to touch Koushi’s face. “Be careful.”

“W-What?! Don’t shit with me, Dai! Come help me!” 

“Take care of yourself… Watch your back… Always…”

Koushi halted in his moves as Daichi’s eyelids drooped close, desperately hugging him. He was covered in blood by now, his cyan pants completely soaked in his best friend’s blood. 

“No… please. You said we’ll complete the mission together.” Koushi begged, fighting back the tears. “You can’t leave me like this. Shit, Dai!”

“Do it for me, Suga… Please…. Take care…”

Koushi couldn’t hear anything. His senses were blocked by a storm. He couldn’t think. All that was in his head was his friend. A friend who had been with him since they first joined high school. He didn’t hear neither the loud footsteps of people running to Electrical nor the screams for his name through the radio. He couldn’t read the looks of terror from the rest of the team or even feel the arms shaking him. 

All his body was telling him to do was to hug his friend as tightly as he could.

And all around him was ultimate chaos.

“Suga-san! What happened?” Shoyo shouted, shaking the vice-captain.

“Get out of my way!” Yuu shouted as he pushed Shoyo away from the body. “I might be able to save him!”

“Oh my god.” Tadashi mumbled before fainting.

“D-Daichi..” Asahi whispered, face pale.

Everything was a blur. Koushi held onto his dead friend’s body with all his might, refusing to let him go. His eyes bored holes onto the floor as he continued to break inside. The last thing he knew before his vision turned into a black screen was Kei and Chikara dragging him away from Daichi’s body and him finally letting out a mourning cry of his friend’s name before finally giving out.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s been an hour since the incident and the crew were devastated. Most of them were locked in their own rooms, letting the pit of darkness swallow them whole. Yuu, who was the medical specialist among them, stayed in Medbay where two bodies laid on bed. Asahi accompanied him but the environment was just thick with unreleased tension.

Yuu cleaned the last cut from Daichi’s body, sighing. He couldn’t bring himself to face the captain. The body had become cold and paler than before. He threw the antiseptic away into the bin and stared at the body before him. Whoever did this to him, was not skilled enough. They could have taken one simple strike by the neck and ended Daichi’s life in an instant. The cuts were everywhere. 

Clearly Daichi had put up a fight.

But he didn’t win.

“Is he waking up?” He asked, covering the captain’s body with a white cloth. 

Asahi, who was seated beside Koushi, shook his head. “I don’t think he will be waking up yet. It must have scared him.”

The heavy feeling on Yuu’s chest only got heavier. He sat on the stool right by Daichi’s bed and took off his gloves, his lips pressed into a thin line.

“I can’t believe Daichi-san would die like that. So brutally killed.” He heard Asahi murmur. “Who in the right mind would do that..”

Yuu clenched his hands into fists as his chin trembled in an attempt to not cry. He got up from his seat and moved to Koushi’s bed, the unconscious man lying down motionless with an IV drip hooked into his arm.

“Whoever it is, we’ll find out. Besides… I bet it’s the worst for Suga-san.” Yuu commented, checking the IV drip. “I hope he wakes up soon.”

Asahi nodded, his head hung low. He was slightly shaking, Yuu observed. He’s scared, of course. Who wouldn’t? Even Yuu was fearing for the worst. He heard a soft sniffle coming from the taller man, who didn’t raise his head up the entire time. Yuu took off his coat and put it down before walking to Asahi’s side, immediately wrapping his arms around the man, letting him silently shed his tears into Yuu’s shirt.

“Daichi was like a brother to me..” Asahi said.

Yuu bit his lip as he tried to suppress himself from crying. The younger man let out a shaky breath and stroked Asahi’s long hair.

“I know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh.... daichi died haha. so who was the imposter hmm?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> currently its the daisuga arc so don't worry !! your other ships will come along !!

Kei turned his head to the door at the sound of gentle knocking. He got up from his bed and opened the door, flinching slightly at the sight of Tadashi standing before him. The other was not looking at him, rather on the floor.

“Tsukki…. Is it okay if I stay with you?” Tadashi asked, clearly avoiding Kei’s gaze.

“Is there something wrong?”

“I don't feel good being alone at the moment. After seeing what happened to Daichi-san, I can’t help but overthink.” 

Kei nodded. “I think everyone is overthinking right now. You’re not alone.”

Tadashi looked up and smiled, grateful to have a crewmate like Kei. He stepped into the room, not surprised to see how neat it was. He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed.

“I’m scared. What do you think will happen to us?” He mumbled, playing with the synthetic cloth of his dark green pants. 

“No idea. For now, all we have to do is keep an open eye.” Kei shrugged, sitting beside the other male. “You okay now?”

“Yeah, sort of. I wonder how Asahi-san, Noya-san and Tanaka-san are coping right now. They are closer to Daichi-san than any of us. Suga-san too.”

There was clear concern in Tadashi’s voice. The four youngest ones joined the team late, a year behind the rest. Chikara, Hisashi and Kazuhito had some conflicts regarding the training and they didn’t take training very seriously. The only ones who did were Daichi, Koushi, Asahi, Yuu and Ryuunosuke. His death must have been a traumatic experience for the others. He let out a shaky breath and hugged his legs to his chest after kicking his boots off.

"We have to be cautious now." Tadashi whispered.

"Yeah. Whoever the killer is, I hope we catch them soon." Kei sighed.

Tadashi nodded his head. His brain was starting to think of alternative endings, the possible outcomes that could happen and the consequences. He shivered in fear, eyes boring holes into the floor. Kei, noticing the other's negative body language, pulled Tadashi into a hug.

"Don't be scared. I won't let anything happen to you." Kei said, his tone firm and determined. "They won't lay a hand on you."

Tadashi leaned closer against the taller male as he felt the tension and fear slowly seep out of him. Not only was he scared of the dark, Daichi just had to die when the lights were out.

"Tsukki…" He called. 

Kei hummed in acknowledgement. 

"Will you allow me to sleep with you? I can sleep on the floor. I don't feel safe in my room by myself." Tadashi asked, his cheeks heating up. "If you don't like it, I'm fine. I-"

"It's okay." The other male said. "We'll share the bed. As long as you feel better."

Face flushed and heart racing, Tadashi smiled, his flustered look hidden behind Kei's shoulder. He went limp in Kei's arms, trying to remove any bad traumatic image of Daichi's dead bloodied body in his mind. The effort seemed redundant. For sure, it will come back but for now, he needs to recover. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Koushi jolted awake and it took him seconds to decipher where he was. He sat up straight as his eyes landed on the lifeless body across his bed. He was confused. Why was Daichi on the medical bed? What are Yuu and Asahi doing standing by Daichi? Are they talking? He groaned, enough to catch the other two’s attention.

“Suga-san! Are you okay?” Yuu exclaimed, immediately rushing to his side.

“What happened? Why am I in Medbay?” Koushi slurred, mind still in a fog.

“Are you feeling better now?” Asahi asked, concern laced in his voice.

“What is-”

Then it came.

The memory of seeing Daichi bleed to his death. The memory of him holding onto Daichi as he died. The memory of not being able to do anything while Daichi’s life slipped away from his arms. Everything slammed him in the back of his head like a truck.

“Daichi.” Koushi whispered.

He’s dead.

No, he can’t be, right?

“Daichi.”

Yuu solemnly held onto his hand, eyes not looking at him. “Suga-san…”

No, no. That tone. That tone that tells me the opposite of what I want.

‘“Daichi!” Koushi shouted.

His mind was clouded. He could only focus on Daichi, the very man lying dead on the medical bed, eyes closed, skin pale, blood cold. He didn’t notice Asahi’s attempts of trying to get him to calm down, neither did he heard Yuu try to get back his attention.

“Daichi! Wake up you asshole! Don’t play with me!” Koushi screamed, eyes burning with tears.

“Suga, calm down! Please!” Asahi tried desperately.

In an instant, the vice-captain ripped the IV off his hand and shook Yuu and Asahi’s hands off him, jumping off the bed and pouncing on Daichi. He shook the dead body, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Daichi, wake up! Wake the fuck up!” Koushi screamed.

“Suga-san-” 

“Wake up! You son of a bitch! WAKE UP!”

Asahi pulled Koushi away while Yuu tried to pry Koushi’s fingers off Daichi’s ice cold shoulders. Koushi resisted with all his might, shouting at the top of his lungs for the dead captain to wake up.

No, he won’t accept it.

“Suga-san, please! He’s dead!” Yuu yelled, successfully removing Koushi’s hands off the body.

The older man trashed in Asahi’s arms. “Then why didn’t you try to save him?! Why didn’t you bring him back? Why didn’t you heal him?! Why is he dead?! Why can’t you bring him back like the fucking doctor you are?!”

“I can’t!”

Yuu was crying. There were tears running down his cheeks. His grip on Daichi’s lifeless body was tight.

“I tried! Suga-san, I fucking tried! Do you know how painful it felt to watch the very exemplary person die right infront of me?! I did everything I could! I know you care for Daichi-san but don’t you ever forget that other people have feelings too! It hurts to see him dead!” Yuu shouted.

Asahi’s grip on Koushi loosened. “N-Noya…”

“Suga-san, please. I did what I could. I wanted to bring him back as much as you long for him to live. I’m hurting too, Suga-san. We all are. You are not the only one.”

Koushi stared at Yuu as he tried to hold back his tears. It’s rare to see the very Nishinoya Yuu cry. He would be the one who’s strong to give his friends support. 

“I’m sorry, Noya. I’m so sorry.” Koushi whispered, immediately reaching out for the other.

“I tried, Suga-san… I’m sorry I couldn’t bring him back.” Yuu cried, head hung low.

“Noya, it’s not your fault. Please, it’s no one’s fault here…” Asahi tried to say, his voice shaking, clearly trying to keep those sobs down. “Please…”

“Noya, come here.” The vice-captain said.

Yuu was in Koushi’s arms in an instant. The smaller man silently wept in Koushi’s arms. Asahi, who kept them in a whole embrace, looked away as he let the waterworks fall. The three of them, broken and hurt, sat on the floor of Medbay, holding onto one another as they tried to accept that their fellow friend was no longer by their side.

“I’m sorry….” Koushi whispered.

“Noya…”

“Asahi….”

“Daichi…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to make it as angsty as i could haha...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the Investigation

Once Koushi had calmed down, he was finally able to get back on his senses. Solemnly he ordered Asahi and Kei to carry Daichi’s body to the walk-in freezer in order to preserve the body till they return back to Earth. The idea of putting a body by the supply of food wasn’t pleasant but it would be the best for now.

Everyone’s gathered at the cafeteria, eyes red-rimmed and shoulders hunched. It was unusually silent. It had never been so quiet till you could hear a pin drop. Koushi sat in the middle. He’s the vice-captain after all. He’s Daichi’s official replacement. But no, he wouldn’t do that. He would stick with the name of vice-captain.

Not when Daichi was murdered in cold blood.

“I know everyone’s shaken about this but I believe we all need to find out who’s behind this.” Koushi began. 

He felt sick to the stomach, sounding calm after the captain’s death. He took a deep breath and continued talking, trying to keep his voice stable while the rest of the crew watched him.

“According to Noya, there are wounds all over the body, thus Daichi had fought before he died. I would like to believe that this murder wasn’t any of our doings and I had a thought that there is someone that sneaked into the ship that’s not our people.” Koushi said, fisting his hands over and over to prevent himself from breaking down once again. “So, I plan to stay up all night- whatever it meant by night- along with a few of you to check if there was actually someone here.”

“How?” Ryuunosuke asked.

“Two people stay in Admin while two stay in Security. It’s not safe for now so we’ll move in pairs.” Koushi informed. “In admin we will watch the map while those in security would watch over the cameras for any foreign movement. That’s all.”

“Uh, Suga-san, shouldn’t we inform Headquarters first about what happened?” Kei asked.

The vice-captain hummed. “We should. I’ll do it later.”

“I can do the cameras if you need me to.” Shoyo raised his hand.

“I’ll be with him.” Tobio said next.

“I need you to be serious about this. No playing around while watching the cameras.” Koushi warned.

“We will.” The duo said in unison.

Koushi looked at the remaining members of the crew. “Asahi, can you come with me tonight?”

“I don’t mind anything if it concerns the team’s safety.” Asahi accepted.

“That’s good. The rest of you shall stay in your rooms and if anyone wants to use the bathroom, use the radio to inform us, okay?”

Everyone else continued with their daily tasks. The mood was dark and dull, even the noisy Hinata Shoyo was quiet. People moved in pairs, worried of what might happen next. Koushi sat by his desk, staring at the blank screen of the computer before him. He should call Headquarters right now but he couldn’t bring himself to.

What was he going to say?

The captain was killed while the entire ship was in a blackout? 

It was easier said than done. Koushi’s tongue was too heavy to say any of those. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything. But he was the vice-captain for a reason. Sighing, he turned on the computer and opened the site to call Headquarters back on Earth. 

“What?” He whispered.

**No Connection. Check Signal.**

“Something’s wrong with the signal?”

Koushi grabbed his radio and almost yelled into it. He couldn’t help but get upset and frustrated about it. First the lights were sabotaged and now communications?

“Ennoshita! Check communications!” He commanded.

_ “Yes, Suga-san. On it.”  _ Chikara replied.

Koushi continued to refresh the site but he was still met with nothing. He slammed his hands onto the desk. Tears formed in his eyes again.

“Why?! Just why?! How am I going to tell them what’s going on?!” He yelled.

_ “Suga-san. The communication frequency is messed up…”  _

There it was. Koushi sighed and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He picked up his radio and tried to speak in the calmest way possible.

“Ennoshita, can you fix it asap?” He said, his voice shaky.

_ “I’ll try. But it would take a long time to fix back the frequency.” _

“How long?”

_ “Maybe an hour or two?” _

Koushi sighed. “What time is it in Japan now?”

_ “Eleven going midnight, Suga-san.” _

“Okay. You’ll fix it tomorrow.” 

Koushi had completely lost track of time. He rubbed his face, frustrated. He turned on his radio again.

“Finish up everything you’re doing. We’ll be carrying out the overnight watch once everyone’s in their room. Hinata, Kageyama you can head to Security now.” Koushi ordered. “Asahi, meet me at Admin.”

“ _ Noted.”  _ The three addressed men replied in unison.

The vice-captain got up from his seat and left his room, momentarily pausing in his steps as he stood before Daichi’s room. A sudden urge of anger flowed through his veins. The feeling of sorrow and regret was slowly being taken over but anger and determination. He clenched his fist and his eyes bored holes into the walls of Daichi’s room.

“I will avenge you, Dai. I won’t let him get away.” He whispered angrily under his breath.

With that, Koushi went down while other crewmates went up the stairs to their bedrooms. He didn’t notice the visible looks of fear on the crewmates that passed by him. It’s not frequent to see Koushi with a scowl on his face. Even Asahi visibly flinched when Koushi arrived at Admin.

“No one leave your current positions. Report if you need to use the bathroom or relocate.” Koushi said into the radio, his voice firm.

Asahi took a seat and watched as Koushi scrutinised the map. The holographic map showed where the crewmates were, a little yellow dot to show where they are. There is a chip in the belt of every crewmate that would act as a tracker on the admin map. Yet the only setback was that the map is not able to identify who’s who. 

What exactly was the point of the tracker if there was no name above those numerous yellow dots?

An unregistered member would be in color red. Koushi felt his blood run cold. There were no red dots. Koushi slowly started to doubt the presence of an intruder in the ship.

“Suga, is the movement on the map recorded?” Asahi asked after a solid thirty minutes of silence.

The silver haired man looked up, the scowl still evident on his face. “For the last 24 hours. It will delete later. Why?”

“Since Daichi’s attack happened 8 hours ago, doesn’t that mean the movement of people will be recorded too?”

Determination glistened in Koushi’s eyes. He rushed to Asahi’s side and took a seat beside him, pointing at the computer near Asahi. 

“Find the file. It must be in there.” He commanded and without waiting for a response, Koushi took his radio. “Hinata, Kageyama, status.”

_ “Nothing, Suga-san.”  _ Tobio responded.

“Okay, I want you to do something.”

_ “What is it?” _

“Check the camera recording files. It should save for the last 24 hours.”

_ “Oh, okay. Oi, boke. Access the files.” _

_ “Why don't  _ **_you_ ** _ do it?”  _ Shoyo complained in the background.

Koushi leaned close to Asahi who managed to open the file of the latest 24 hour recording. He pointed wordlessly to the cursor on the computer screen.

“8 hours ago.” He said.

_ “There is a file, Suga-san.”  _

“Okay, check the footage for 8 hours ago.”

The yellow dots were scattered as Asahi moved the cursor until they reached the moment where the lights were off. Koushi observed as the yellow dots moved about and his eyes fell on Electrical. 

  
Two dots.

Ryuunosuke and Daichi.

The cursor moved again. 

Ryuunosuke left.

One dot.

Koushi waited. His eyebrows furrowed as the one dot remained and nothing else came in. He wanted to believe that there is going to be a red dot popping out somewhere. A yellow dot from Admin moved out to the Cafeteria.

Kei left Admin.

Daichi was still in Electrical.

Where was the red dot?

He bit his lip nervously as a yellow dot from the Cafeteria moved towards the direction of Electrical. He believed it was him. No red dot appeared.

“He was already dead before I arrived.” He mumbled.

“I suppose so.” Asahi agreed, his voice shaky.

Koushi sensed that the taller man was about to say something but was holding it back. He faced Asahi and turned the chair to make Asahi face him.

“Spit it out. You want to say something.” He demanded.

Asahi was sweating. “I don’t w-want to say this because i-it’s only a s-speculation in my head but… how sure can I be that  _ you _ didn’t walk in and kill Daichi-san?”

Koushi was shocked. Is this how things would be now? Suspecting one another? Fuck, he forgot how it would seem like if he was the last one to see Daichi. He laughed, running a hand through his sweaty silver strands of hair.

“You think I’m that crazy, Azumane? To kill the one person that cared for me? You think I would do that shit, Azumane?” He whispered.

Asahi looked troubled. It’s not usual to call Asahi with his last name. 

“That’s why I-I didn’t want t-to say it! It s-sounded illogical! I’m sorry!” He apologised, terrified.

The vice-captain ignored Asahi. He’s losing it. Losing himself. He grabbed his radio and looked at the admin map in current time.

“Hinata. Status.”

_ “Nothing, Suga-san.” _

“Watch the recording closely. Is there any movement at the halls of Electrical right before Daichi get killed?” 

_ “Okay, hold on. It’s dark so it’s hard to see.” _

Koushi was a mess of emotions. First, Daichi died. Now, Asahi was suspecting him. He grinned to himself.

“Ah, what a mess we have gotten ourselves into, Dai.” He chuckled bitterly. “Just what the hell did we walk ourselves into.”

_ “No movement, Suga-san.” _

Koushi fell onto the floor, his face split into a crazy grin. Asahi didn’t come to him. Koushi wouldn’t want that either. He might lash out or even hurt the latter, considering his current state of mind. He put the pieces together in his brain.

“I got a lead, Dai.” He whispered to himself. “And I’m sure it’s him, Dai. Don’t worry I’ll make sure he’ll pay for what he’s done to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so? who do you think it is? ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lead has been pointed out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will post my chapters after 2 chapters ahead are complete, so..... it depends on the update speed at this point haha

At 6AM, everyone was gathered at the Cafeteria around a circular table, some seated, some standing. It was silent and grim, especially with Koushi’s unsettlingly dark face. He had no emotions in his face except for the crazy glint in his eyes. The other could only guess he had found the intruder.

Only that it wasn’t an intruder but an impostor.

“Big news. We have no intruder. The killer is among us.” Koushi announced. “And fortunately, I had a lead.”

The crewmates looked at each other with disbelief.

“Nishinoya, I have one last question for you. So I can finalise my lead.” Koushi spoke after a few uncomfortable beats of silence. “When you saw the wounds, how long do you think it had been since he was stabbed?”

Yuu hummed, thinking. “Five to seven minutes. He was at his last breath when you saw him so for sure, he had passed five minutes since he got hurt until he bled to his death.”

(A/N: am not a medical expert so i have no idea how long it will take to bleed to death.)

And the crazy grin made a return to the vice-captain’s face.

“My lead is secured then.” He whispered.

Everyone looked at each other, worried about what is to come. Koushi laughed to himself for a while before turning serious.

“Tanaka, you were the last one to see Daichi before he died.” He said, eyes on the mentioned man. “ _ You _ were the one who did it.”

Ryuunosuke’s eyes were blown wide. “What?! No it wasn’t me!”

“H-hey, I don’t think he would do something like that, Suga-san.” Chikara intervened.

“Yeah, it couldn’t be him!” Yuu interjected.

Koushi glared at the two. “Listen to my reasoning.” He growled. “I watched the recording of the map in admin and there was no movement of people in the Electrical other than Tanaka and Daichi. Once Tanaka left, there was no one who entered Electrical. So who else would it be other than Tanaka?”

“No! Believe me it wasn’t me! All I did was leave him alone in Electrical because he said he wanted to help!” Ryuunosuke shouted.

“It doesn’t sound possible, Suga-san. We met him.” Shoyo defended.

“But it was dark and you met him outside Electrical.” Koushi pointed out. “He could have killed him and then leave him in there to bleed. Everything pointed out to you Tanaka. I  _ know _ it’s you.”

The younger man flinched, fear evident in his eyes. “Please.. I wouldn’t do that. There is no way I would kill the very man I looked up to.”

Yuu got up from his seat and pointed accusingly to their vice-captain. “You’re acting really suspicious right now. Why is it not you, then?” He said. “Weren’t you the last one to see him before we came and found you?”

“Me?” Koushi pointed a finger at himself, laughing, his eyes gleaming with insanity. “Me?! Me kill Daichi?! You seem like you’re out of your mind, Noya. And you told me it takes five minutes for someone to bleed to death, it took 45 seconds just to walk to Electrical from Cafeteria.” He stated. “And you suspect  _ me _ ? Me?!”

“Suga, calm down, please.” Asahi whispered.

“Why can’t you see it?! It’s clearly Tanaka!”

“It’s not me! Please, believe me, Suga-san!” Ryuunosuke cried.

“He had a criminal record if you all forgot!”

“That was in high school! And I’m a changed man! Believe me, please, I beg you!”

“You were arrested for assault! You left the victim with broken ribs and a neck fracture! Don’t think I would forget that you did that!”

Kei interjected into the argument. “I’m sorry, Suga-san but you’re acting irrational.”

“Yeah! I watched him change!” Yuu shouted.

“Suga-san, I think you need to calm down first.” Chikara piped in, his voice soft. 

“But if you think about it…. It sounded logical. Everything pointed to Tanaka.” Hisashi said suddenly. “I don’t wish to believe it was you who did this. But there is still a possibility.”

Ryuunosuke looked at Hisashi, betrayed. “Kinoshita… How could you… You know I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know!” The other half-shouted. “I’m in disbelief right now. But we have to take precautions too.”

“I want him locked up in his room. Only I have access to his room from now on. I will think of what to do with him.” Koushi ordered, ignoring the fiasco.

There was a look of utter betrayal on Ryuunosuke’s face that Chikara couldn’t bear to see. Yuu looked away from Koushi, clearly unhappy with the situation and walked towards his close friend.

“I believe you.” Yuu said, putting a hand on Ryu’s shoulder.

“Thanks. I hope everyone does as time passes.” The other man said, dejected. “I’m glad you believe me, Noya.”

“How can I not? When I’ve been friends with you since college.”

Heart touched, Ryuunosuke’s lips curled into a small smile while his eyes were wet with tears. He never felt so overwhelmed with such accusations and to hear someone taking his side even though everything pointed at him, he was relieved. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your room.” Yuu said.

“Sure thing, bro.”

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


Chikara was distracted as he was fixing comms. He sat on the chair, constantly tweaking the frequency, hoping that their radio frequency was able to reach the correct space station that would transit back signals to Japan. He should be focused.

But his mind was elsewhere.

Tanaka Ryuunosuke? Would that man do such a thing?

“I hear your brain gears squeaking. What’s in your mind?” 

Chikara flinched at the sudden voice. He took off one side of his headphones and turned his head around, sighing in relief when he saw Kazuhito leaning against the door, hands in the pockets of his purple pants.

“Did I shock you?” Kazuhito asked. “Sorry.”

The other man walked into the Communication room and leaned against the machine, watching as Chikara focused back his attention on the radio. He frowned when he realised he wasn’t given a reply.

“Hey, you okay?” 

Chikara rubbed his face with his hands, letting out a long groan. Kazuhito, being a nice friend he was, waited until Chikara was stable enough to voice off his thoughts.

“I doubt it’s Tanaka who did it.” He mumbled, face still in his hands.

“Me too.” Kazuhito sighed heavily. “It’s very unlikely that it was Tanaka who killed Daichi-san. But then we could easily say it’s very unlikely that the rest of us are the culprit.”

“It can’t be. It can’t be him.”

“I know how you feel, En.”

Chikara put his headphones down and looked up at the other. “Tanaka has a family back at home. I doubt he will do that. Why won’t Suga-san believe me?”

“I don’t think Suga-san would believe anyone at this point. Daichi-san died. He was clearly unstable. It’s alright. He definitely had no grudge against the rest of you. He’s angry and scared. What else could a man who lost his dearest friend do other than lose his mind?” Kazuhito said, looking at the floor.

“That’s what frustrates me. With his mental state being that way, shouldn’t he be unfit to be taking control?”

“Don’t say that, En. We know damn well that no one else can lead the team other than Daichi-san and Suga-san.”

Chikara’s heart felt heavy. His mind was confused and tangled. He wanted to believe that Ryuunosuke wasn’t it but at the same time, he knew he couldn’t brush off the possibility that the murderer was Tanaka Ryuunosuke.

“I know you like him, En.”

Chikara looked at his friend with wide eyes.  _ Huh? _

“But I think it’s best not to put emotions into this tragedy.” Kazuhito warned. “Sooner or later without you knowing, you’ll be dragged into this. And I don’t wish for that to happen.”

They fell into an awkward silence, Kazuhito staring off onto the floor and Chikara fiddling with the wire of his headphones. A knock on the door snapped them out from their quiet state, Hisashi standing by the entrance.

“I have been searching for the two of you. I was worried for a second.” Hisashi said, sighing in relief.

He walked in and noticed the atmosphere in the room. His eyes fell on Chikara who looked nothing more than broken.

“I’m sorry, En. I didn’t want to suspect him either. But if we get the killer soon, I’m pretty sure it will be safe from then on.” Hisashi said.

“Don’t apologise. I have to put away my feelings for him anyways.” Chikara whispered, his voice sad and weak.

Chikara had always been the strongest one among them, even though he was in the middle between them when it comes to age. To see him so weak like that was unbearable. He felt his eyes sting with tears as the other two pulled him into an embrace. Without him knowing he was already sobbing in their arms, his mind muddled and confused, not willing to accept the fact that Ryuunosuke was the possible suspect for Daichi’s murder.

“It’s okay… It’s going to be okay…” Hisashi whispered.

“We’ll just have to hope that Suga-san would listen to us.” Kazuhito stated.

Chikara could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> koushi thinks its ryuu, what do you think?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew's draining sanity

_ “Suga-san, I’ve fixed comms.” _

_ “Thank you, Ennoshita.” _

Tobio threw the volleyball up and down as he laid on his bed. He diverted all of his attention as he practiced setting. Volleyball had always been Tobio’s coping mechanism. When he’s stressed, he’d practice serves and sets. It didn’t matter whether he was still playing in a team. As long as he could get his hands on a volleyball, he would use it as stress relief.

_ “You play the setter? That’s nice. I’m a defensive specialist!” _

Tobio lost focus and the ball almost fell on his face. He sat up straight, gasping. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He hadn't cried when they saw Daichi’s body. He was traumatised, yes but he wasn’t the type to show it. He clutched onto the ball, closing his eyes.

_ “Looks like we have some free time next week, anyone up for a volleyball match someday? I believe we all need a break from training once in a while. Hahaha.”  _

His eyes brimmed with tears as Daichi’s voice echoed in his head. He stared at the yellow and blue strikes of the ball. He took in a deep breath and wiped the tears away. He had to be strong. He knew damn well if he became weak, he’s only going to be more vulnerable to fear. He practiced setting the ball again.

His walls were breaking, he knew. Nevertheless he’ll let it be. As long as he could keep them intact despite the visible deep cracks growing on his walls, he would be fine with the constant force hitting against his wall that kept his mental stability secure. Tobio knew he was losing too but what matters to him was how long he could keep the game going.

“I’ll make sure we win the game, Daichi-san.” Tobio mumbled, getting up from his place on the bed. “This game, we won’t lose.”

Then he threw the ball in the air before slapping his palm hard against the ball, sending the ball flying across the room and hitting the wall with a loud thud.

_ “Nice serve, Kageyama!” _

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


Lunch was silent. Everyone ate from their trays quietly. No one dared talk. Koushi sat at his own round table alone, the table where he and Daichi would normally sit while discussing matters about their mission. He stared at the food he barely touched. He had no appetite. Instead, he got up and left his tray to turn cold as he left for his room.

It’s time to finally report whatever the hell that was going on.

Koushi uncomfortably sat on the chair and turned on his computer, ready to call Headquarters but his fingers froze before he could. A series of thoughts rushed into his mind. What would happen if he reported? What good will it bring? Reinforcements? Cancellation of the mission? One part of him said it’s not worth it to have it cancelled but the other told him it was for the best for the crew.

Taking in a deep breath, he finally called Headquarters.

As usual, it was Ms Kanami who picked up the call.

_ “Sugawara! It’s the first time you called!”  _ was the first thing the woman said.  _ “Sawamura didn’t report last night. Is he sick?” _

“I’m here to report something serious.” Koushi began. “It has something to do with Daichi.”

Ms Kanami looked at him with eyes that Koushi couldn’t read.  _ “What about Sawamura?” _

“He’s dead. Someone killed him.”

_ “Wait what?” _

Koushi didn’t miss the fact that she looked like she expected it. He was observant, that’s what made him vice-captain. 

_ “How did that happen?” _

“My suspects are on Tanaka.” Koushi informed. She opened her mouth to reply but Koushi beat her to it. “You expected this, didn’t you?”

The lady was quiet for a few seconds. Koushi felt himself getting riled up with anger.

“You knew this would happen!” He yelled.

Ms Kanami sighed and fixed her glasses.  _ “Yes, I knew. Every mission always has this happening. All of our missions end up with imposters in the crew. Nekoma, Fukurodani, Shiratorizawa, Seijoh… All missions will end up losing members.” _

“Impostors?”

_ “I regret not allowing Sawamura to inform you. I don’t know when this started but there is a certain community which absolutely hates our company or the experiments we do and they would send people to their side to make sure nothing materialises. The problem is not the fact that we have people who hate us. It’s the worry that they are in our company, working alongside everyone.”  _

“You’re telling me you knew damn well this shit is going to happen yet you sent us out here?” Koushi was seeing red.

_ “I had to! If not this mission won’t work!” _ Ms Kanami insisted.

“So what now? We’re going to have to continue with our mission even though there is a high chance of us being killed by these so-called impostors?”

_ “Yes, I’m sorry. You have signed a contract to proceed with the mission no matter what costs.” _

Koushi wasn’t angry. He was infuriated. He clenched his fists and took a few deep breaths to calm down. He looked up to the screen and tried to talk with the sanest voice he could.

“Fine. We will complete the mission with a few conditions.” He said slowly.

The lady frowned.  _ “What is it?” _

“One, you don’t control us in any way and we can do whatever we want, especially when it comes down to finding the impostor. Two, I will not contact you at all and we are free to contact any other space stations however we like. Three,  _ you _ will be held accountable to the deaths.” Koushi listed. 

Ms Kanami smiled. “ _ Sure. As long as you reach Polus and complete the mission. It’s a deal.” _

Koushi found the lady’s smile unsettling. It was like something was up her sleeve. Over time, he’s sure that he would find out whatever they were plotting. He frowned and mumbled under his breath,

“Deal.”

This woman didn’t even bother to ask how Daichi was killed.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s been about an hour and a half since Ryuunosuke had been locked up in his room and he was in no good state. He paced around in his room, nibbling on his nails. Koushi’s words ran in his mind. He could barely think at this point. He was just worried.

_ “Suga-san, I’ve fixed comms.” _

_ “Thank you, Ennoshita.” _

Ryuunosuke snapped his head at the computer by his desk. Everyone was provided with one. Koushi’s going to inform the higher ups about this. He started to tremble. What was his fate going to be? Something bad, for sure. He quickly sat on his desk and turned it on, impatiently rapping his fingers against the desk.

He could already feel tears welling up in his eyes as he opened up the calling site, his shaking hands making it almost impossible for the cursor to land on the right name. It’s been a half a month since they last talked. They had a limited number of calls back home, each of them having only two opportunities to call home.

**Calling Kiyoko <3….**

“Ryuu honey, you’ve finally called!”

The man’s wall started to break. His beloved wife was right across the screen, facing him with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Oh how he missed her so much. 

“Hello. I missed you, baby.” He tried to say, only for his voice to break.

Kiyoko giggled. “I missed you too. But most importantly, Yachi misses you!” She informed him before moving out of frame, calling for their daughter. “Yachi, your daddy is on the call!”

Loud giggles from a toddler came echoing from his speaker, followed by footsteps. Ryuunosuke couldn’t control the tears from falling the moment his adorable daughter popped up on the screen, her blonde hair tied in small ponytails.

“Daddy!” She squealed.

Kiyoko struggled to keep her in place on her lap but nonetheless smiled with adoration. She laughed along as Yachi bounced on her lap excitedly at the sight of her father across the screen.

“Aw, that’s my little baby!” Ryuunosuke smiled, his heart cracking more and more. “Miss me?”

The two-year old giggled and showed her little teddy bear to her father before hugging the toy tight. “Michu bery much!” She tried to say.

He laughed, wiping the tears away from his face. “I miss you too, Yachi.” He whispered.

Kiyoko, the best wife in the world, noticed the unusual behavior her husband was acting.Her brows were knitted in worry when she saw the tear tracks on his face. She shifted Yachi on her lap for a bit before scooting closer to the camera, her face now showing concern.

“Honey, is everything okay?” She asked.

Ryuunosuke still kept up the smile. “I’m fine.”

“Did something happen? I know you’re not the type to look so sad like this.”

“Just mishaps here and there.”

“Do you want to tell me?” Kiyoko persisted.

He looked at the look of worry on her face and sighed. “When Yachi isn’t around.” he mumbled. “I want to see my little baby.” He said, smiling again.

“Daddy! Mommy make cookie!” Yachi said excitedly, pointing at the crumbs on her face.

“Is it delicious?” Ryuusonuke asked, leaning closer to the screen. “Will you leave Daddy some?”

Yachi nodded her head eagerly. “Yeah!”

“Then you shouldn’t eat too much, Yachi. Daddy wants some too.” 

The girl gasped when her father pouted. She put her hands on her hips, her teddy bear falling on the floor.

“I pwomise! Daddy will get cookie!” She said, determined.

“You better.”

Yachi squealed, clapping her small chubby hands. The man couldn’t resist touching the screen, imagining what it would be like to touch her cheeks. 

“Shit… I want to see you so bad.” He murmured under his breath.

Ryuunosuke had turned soft. That’s what Yuu would say. The moment Ryuu had gotten married to Kiyoko, he had grown softer than he was ever before. He would still pull off a strong hard exterior among his colleagues but deep inside, the moment he stepped into their home, he was a loving father who would shower Kiyoko with unconditional love and pamper Yachi with whatever he had.

“Yachi, can you leave Mommy and Daddy to talk alone?” he asked.

The girl obediently nodded and jumped off her mother’s lap, running away from anywhere nearby their call. Kiyoko looked at her husband, her face morphing from the fake happiness she had to put up for Yachi to a look of concern.

“Talk to me. What’s wrong, Ryuu? This isn’t like you.” She questioned softly.

Ryuunosuke looked at her eyes and sighed. “Listen to me carefully.”

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Yuu examined the body in the freezer, breathing through a scarf he wrapped around his neck. He wanted to find clues. He wanted to prove his friend’s innocence. He sighed and took off his gloves, discarding them as he stepped out from the freezer. It’s already night time and he had spent most of his time trying to find proof for Ryuunosuke’s innocence.

“Wash your hands, Noya. Dinner is almost fully prepared.” Hisashi said from the kitchen.

Yuu hummed in acknowledgement as he unwrapped the scarf from his neck, taking off his jacket. He forgot how long he had been sitting in the freezer. He washed his hands in the sink, his thoughts full. He looked at the trio, who were in-charge of the food, moving around preparing for dinner.

“Kinoshita.”

The said male turned to face him, holding onto a stack of bowls. “Yeah?”

“I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you-”

Before Yuu could finish his sentence, Chikara bumped into him, causing him to fall alongside Chikara. He groaned at the weight. His head hurt, for sure.

“Shit, sorry Noya. I didn’t see where I was going.” Chikara apologised, scrambling off him.

The cutlery he was holding onto had been scattered all over the floor, the consequence of bumping into Yuu. He quickly got on his knees and picked the fallen cutleries off the kitchen floor.

“No, it’s fine. Come, let me help you.” Yuu offered to help.

He was on his fifth spoon when he noticed something shining from under the kitchen counter. Eyebrows knitted together, he bent down further to see a bloodied knife rolled up in a towel, hidden deep inside underneath the counter.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this was a bit of an emotional ride for me ngl


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It strikes again

Asahi carried the loaded carton of fuel and walked his way to the Upper Engine. Stupid old ship needed refueling every 24 hours. He was already four hours late and he was starting to fear that the engines would suddenly stop. He groaned as he picked the carton up and rested it against his thigh, ready to pour it down the engine when he heard a soft thud from behind.

On instinct, Asahi snapped his head to the direction of the sound, eyes wide and hands clammy. He always worked alone when it had something to do with the left side of the ship. Occasionally when he needed help, he would ask for Kazuhito or Hisashi for assistance. Yuu would come by once in a while but silence was never something Yuu would come along with.

“Asahi-san.” 

Kei.

“Yeah?”

The blonde man tucked his hands inside his pockets of the lime colored lower part of the uniform. “How much supplies do we have for fueling?” he asked, scratching the back of his ear.

“All of a sudden?” Asahi asked. “Just enough to reach Polus I think.”

“Well that’s worrying. I need some to get the oxygen generator to continue moving. There was a leak for some reason.” Kei said, sighing.

“A leak? Shit.”

“Yeah. Do you think we have enough fuel to go around?”

“Just take some. Oxygen is more important. We can refuel if we need to.”

And with that, Kei just left with a nod of the head. Asahi sighed and went back to refueling. Fuel was made to last throughout the trip to Polus. They’ve spent a few days going astray- which no one noticed other than Tadashi- and definitely have wasted their fuel on that. He shook his head, mumbling under his breath that everything will be fine.

“Asahi-san. Need help?” 

The poor easily-startled man yelped, almost spilling the carton from his hands. “Ah, Hinata. Sure.”

The orange haired man smiled. There was a smile on his lips but for sure, there was no smile in his eyes. He had lost it all the moment they saw Daichi’s dead body. But sometimes he’d just have to tell himself that the place doesn’t have to be gloomy everytime.

“You can make sure the engines are properly aligned once I’m done.” Asahi said, smiling back as he poured the remaining of the fuel into the fuel pocket of the engine.

“Okay!”

It’s sickening to hear someone so joyful after such a tragedy but Asahi would admit, it was nice to see a smile after passing by so many sorrowful faces. He picked up the empty carton and walked back to Storage to refill the carton when he saw someone sprint pass him. Asahi’s heart dropped. He missed the color of the uniform. 

“You’ll be fine.” He mumbled to himself as he got ready to refill the carton.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Koushi wanted to scream. He was confused. Should he inform the team about the presence of three possible imposters that had a mission to kill them and stop the mission? He got up from his chair and walked out of his room. His and Daichi’s room were at the very end, since they were the captain and vice-captain.

His steps were slow as he walked. He had to make up his mind. If he were to tell the crew about the infiltration, that would benefit the innocent ones but at the same time the imposters would know that they’ve been known. He stopped his tracks right before Ryuunosuke’s door.

“He must be one. What else would he be?” He mumbled.

He walked downstairs to the main floor. Dinner was being prepared. He wasn’t hungry. He hadn’t felt the need to eat at all. He watched as the three of them, Chikara, Hisashi and Kazuhito distributed the trays of food to each crewmate.

“Suga-san, it’s time to eat!” 

It was Tadashi calling him. Oh how much Koushi didn’t want to interact with him right now. He didn’t want to talk. He was edgy, ready to snap. 

But he was vice-captain for a reason, right?

He walked towards Tadashi who immediately thrusted a tray of food towards him. He blinked.

“Eat. I know you are hurting. But Daichi-san won’t like this.”

For a second he was about to snap but he knew he shouldn’t. His teammates care for him… No… Tadashi cared for him. Wait- no- He couldn’t trust anyone. The imposters. They could be anyone. Koushi hated this feeling.

The mistrust among them will grow. It will only worsen over time.

“I’ll try. Thank you for worrying about me.” Koushi responded.

He took the tray from the younger and walked to his usual seat, the empty space beside him still foreign to him. It’s been only two days since the tragedy. He dug into the hot porridge, refusing to swallow. Everything was bland to him now. It took him a good two minutes until he finally downed the porridge. He glared at his barely eaten bowl of porridge.

“It’s not going to finish if you keep doing that.” 

He looked up to see Chikara standing beside him. Chikara was in no good state either. His eyes were bloodshot. He must have been crying.

“Can I sit here?” The latter asked.

Koushi only nodded. Chikara was having trouble eating too, he noticed. They ate in absolute silence, not like the others were making any noise either. It was strange to see the KageHina duo being silent. It’s still a relief that they still bicker but the decreased among of yelling was too significant to not notice. And now with Ryuunosuke out of the picture, it definitely was a big change. Yuu was more silent than before too.

“Suga-san.”

At the mention of his name, he turned his head to the voice. “Yeah?”

“I’m going to serve Tanaka his food.” Hisashi said, showing the tray of food he was holding.

“Okay.”

Koushi returned back to eating, though it wasn’t much of a progress. Chikara’s presence wasn’t going to change the emptiness beside him. He missed Daichi so much. He gripped onto his spoon tight as he felt tears well up in his eyes.

_ “You eating that?”  _

_ Daichi laughed and moved his tray away from the other. “Stop it, man. Just because I left this behind last, doesn’t mean I’m not eating it.” _

_ “Aw, but I finished mine.” Koushi pouted, reaching out for the paper cup of deep fried potatoes. “I want some.” _

_ Of course, he gave in. “Fine. Leave me some.” _

His eyes weren't able to contain the tears. His cheeks were damp with tears. Koushi took in a deep shaky breath and wiped the tears away. What a weak vice-captain he would seem like.

“Huh, where’s Nishinoya?” He heard Asahi ask from a table away from them.

A loud clatter of metal against the metal flooring got them all on high alert. A loud scream followed after. Koushi was first to spring off his seat. It was from upstairs. 

“That’s Kinoshita.” Kazuhito mumbled.

“Shit.”

Koushi sprinted upstairs, halting in his steps when he saw Hisashi on the floor against the wall across Ryuunosuke’s room, food scattered all across the floor. He certainly did not miss the look of horror painted across Hisashi’s face.

“T-Tanaka….” Hisashi whispered.

Koushi’s blood ran cold. His hands started to turn clammy. He walked towards the open door and gasped. It couldn’t be.

“Kinoshita!”

The said male cried, reaching out to Kazuhito, sobbing. He was trembling so badly and his hands were cold. Koushi stared at the body sitting by the desk. 

“What happened?” Kazuhito asked.

“I d-don’t know. I walked into him like that.” Hisashi cried.

“What’s going on?” Another voice piped in.

Chikara.

Fuck, don’t come here.

Koushi couldn’t mistake the cruel twist of the neck. The bone was jutting out underneath the skin. He knew that that shouldn’t be where the bone was located. He tumbled forwards, turning the chair around, tumbling back again. 

“N-No….”

Tanaka Ryuunosuke was dead.

It could be seen in his wide soulless eyes. There was a reaction of shock on his face. His death happened in an instant. He didn’t have time to react. 

“Narita, I’m scared!” Hisashi wailed, gripping onto Kazuhito’s shirt tightly.

“Nishinoya! Come here!” Kazuhito yelled into his radio.

“N-No…”

Chikara had seen everything. He was rooted to the spot, unable to move. The very man he liked was dead right in front of his eyes. The emotions he felt were immense. He couldn’t react, let alone move a muscle. All he knew his body was forming tears in his eyes.

“What happened?!” Shoyo screamed, running towards their direction, Tobio, Tadashi and Kei trailing behind him. “Asahi-san is searching for Noya-san!”

“Oh no-” Tobio gasped before falling on his knees, vomiting his dinner out on the floor.

“Again? Fucking hell.” Kei mumbled, quickly grabbing Tadashi to face the opposite way of the scene. “Don’t look.”

Another set of loud thumping footsteps could be heard. Asahi and Yuu were coming. Koushi snapped out of his trance and grabbed Chikara who wasn’t breathing properly.

“Hey, look at me. Breathe!” He shouted, cupping Chikara’s cheeks.

The younger couldn’t. Koushi wondered if this was how pathetic he was when he was hugging Daichi’s body then.

“Fuck!” Yuu exclaimed the first thing he saw the body. “No, no please be okay!” 

Koushi observed everything. His brain was going overdrive. Did Ryuu kill himself? If not, who did it to him? But why so soon? Two days after Daichi was killed? Is it because Koushi knew about the presence of impostors now? But if it was, shouldn’t Koushi be the first one to die? He had too many questions.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Yuu cursed, falling to his knees in front of Ryuu’s body.

With that, Yuu got back on his feet, pointing at the remaining crew. His eyes were blazed with pure anger and hatred when he looked at them. 

“Whoever did this, I can never forgive you. I want you dead. I will find you. I don’t fucking care if you’re close to me. I don’t fucking care. Tanaka is dead! And I know the murderer is among you!” He yelled.

Asahi tried to reach out for the younger one. “Noya-”

“Shut up, Asahi! I’m angry and don’t you dare tell me to calm down! I know you are going to!” Yuu bellowed before turning back to the others. “I’m going to find you and you’ll pay for all these deaths. Daichi-san did not deserve to die! And so did Tanaka! You left Yachi fatherless! How heartless can you be?!”

This was it. 

This was the end of Karasuno. 

Everything had fallen apart.

Hisashi was sobbing in Kazuhito’s chest. Kei was hiding the scene from Tadashi. Chikara was barely breathing in Koushi’s arms. Tobio was resting in Shoyo’s arms, weak from throwing up. Yuu yelled at Asahi. Ryuu and Daichi were dead.

No one trusted one another anymore.

“What have I done, Dai…. What have I done….” Koushi whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im actually super sad... kiyoko and yachi T^T


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the second death

_ “I told you to keep your hands off him!” _

_ “And? It’s not part of the contract.” _

_ “We had an agreement!” _

_ “We did not. Maybe you think you had. But we didn’t.” _

_ “I didn’t lay a hand on them as you ordered!” _

_ “You didn’t want to continue with the mission in the first place!” _

_ “And you are willing to do that? We’re killing off the people we have grown close to.” _

_ “I have grown close to no one. You’re getting attached, XXXXX-san. Wake up! We signed the contract for a reason!” _

_ “XXXXX, calm down. Pity XXXXX a bit. You killed the very people he told you not to.” _

_ “This is a job! It's been our job since the very beginning when we worked here! Since the very day we went to training!” _

_ “How are you so cold…” _

_ “Because I don’t put emotions into things like this! Be serious! Think about it! If we fail this mission, what would happen to our family?” _

_ …. _

_ “You see? All of you are reluctant to let anything happen to your family.” _

_ “That’s different, XXXXX.” _

_ “Forget it. You two better do your job. Or I’ll be the one who kills you two.” _

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


In the freezer laid two bodies. Chikara, sobbing, closed Ryuu’s eyes before they covered the body with a similar black cloth Daichi had on. Everyone was silent. First, the crew had lost their captain and now their electrician. Not to forget, Ryuunosuke had a family waiting for him back on Earth.

Yuu stayed in his room, curled up on his bed. He was filled with regret. The bloodied knife sat on his table. He curled his hands into fists as he tried to suppress the tears. He hated this. He let out a shout and grabbed the knife, throwing it across the room towards the direction of the door.

“Oh my God.”

He looked up to see the door swung open and Asahi standing by the door. The knife had flew past him, hitting the wall behind him. Yuu noticed the fresh new cut by Asahi’s ear cartilage, immediately getting to his feet. Blood had started to drip onto the floor.

“Sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to come by.” Yuu apologised, taking out a few sheets of tissue to press against the cut.

“It’s fine.” Asahi mumbled, applying pressure against the wound.

“I need to sterilise the wound. The knife was dirty. Come with me.”

The monotony in Yuu’s voice felt foreign to Asahi’s ears. Nevertheless, he trailed behind the smaller like a puppy, wincing at the stinging pain at his ear. Yuu was holding the bloodied knife with him as they walked to Medbay. He knew how it would look like if he were to pass by anyone but he couldn’t be bothered to care anymore.

“Ouch.” Asahi winced as he sat crossed legged on one of the beds.

“Sorry. I want to avoid an infection.” Yuu mumbled, cleaning the wound thoroughly.

“It’s okay. It was my fault, anyways. I should have knocked.”

Yuu could feel Asahi’s constant glance at the knife, even when he wasn’t looking. He untied Asahi’s long brown hair and tied them back up neatly so he could easily bandage the wound.

“Are you suspecting me?” Yuu asked after a few beats of silence.

“W-What? N-No.” 

The medical specialist hummed. “Sure? There is blood on the knife that isn’t yours.”

“I trust you. I know it’s not you.”

“You’re blatantly following your emotions, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Asahi asked, his eyes on the floor.

“Look at what it has done to Tanaka. Suga-san doesn’t trust him and that’s how Tanaka’s life ended. Now you trust me, even though I have a knife covered in blood. What if I was the murderer?” Yuu spoke with a low voice.

“You wouldn’t kill Tanaka. I know you won’t. He’s your closest friend.”

“What if there were more than one murderer?”

Asahi turned to face him. “Nishinoya, stop saying things like that. I should be the pessimistic one.”

“No. I won’t. I can’t trust anyone anymore. The people who I’ve trained with are potentially the culprits. I can’t even trust  _ you. _ ” Yuu stated, solemn. “Tanaka.. Doesn’t deserve this. Daichi-san too.”

“It’s how things have turned out to be…. We can’t do anything about it. But I  _ want  _ to trust you. And I want you to trust  _ me. _ I want that to happen. I don’t care, Noya. I believe you are safe.” There were tears in Asahi’s eyes. “Are we going to simply throw away our three years of friendship for mistrust?”

Yuu bit his lip. He’s the wimp now. 

“I don’t want to but I have to.”

“Okay. If that’s what makes you feel better.” 

Asahi sounded dejected. Yuu sighed and pulled him into a hug, careful of the newly bounded cut. He stroked his hair.

“Nothing is going to make me feel better here, Asahi. I wish things weren’t like this. I want to trust everyone but looking at all these things happening, I doubt I can put my trust in anyone at this point.” Yuu explained. “It fucks me up when I suspect anyone. I suspect it’s Suga-san who killed Tanaka with that state of mind of his. But I know better than suspecting someone without solid proof.”

He then pulled away and cupped Asahi’s cheeks which were now wet with tears. A sad smile spread across Yuu’s face.

“I want to trust you. I really do. But I have second thoughts, Asahi. I can’t help it.” The smaller man said, pressing their foreheads together. “It hurts a lot to keep my guard up around others. Especially you.”

They fell in a comfortable silence. The both of them needed to recollect their thoughts. Asahi put his hands over Yuu’s and closed his eyes. The numbing pain in his ear was nothing compared to the emotional pain they were experiencing.

“If you don’t trust me, I still want to trust you.” Asahi whispered, leaning to Yuu’s touch. His cheeks subtly flared under Yuu’s touch. “I can’t trust anyone else other than you. You will never do things like that. I know you."

Yuu felt his heart drop. Why was it the other way round? He should be the optimistic one among the two of them. Why was it Asahi trying to make him feel better when it should be Nishinoya Yuu himself? Tears sprung in his eyes and made its way down his cheeks when he closed his eyes.

“You amaze me, Asahi.”

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kei sat in Security, looking through the records. Again, in order to find the suspect, Koushi had ordered them to stay up the night to find out the culprit. He leaned back and played a recording before him. Security wasn’t helpful, per se. The cameras are situated in halls and nowhere else. There wouldn’t be much to see.

It was much harder to get the exact timeframe as no one knew when exactly Ryuunosuke had been killed. Poor Kei had ended up drifting in and out of sleep while staring at the screens. He looked over his shoulder to see Tadashi sleeping on the table behind, softly snoring.

“I’ll come with you, Tsukki. I don’t want to be left alone.” was what Tadashi had said when Kei volunteered to help this round.

He was glad Tadashi had chosen to come with him. Who knows what could have happened to him the moment he laid his eyes off him. He smiled to himself when Tadashi whined at the hard surface of the table. It must have been uncomfortable. 

His lips turned into a frown when he noticed that Tadashi was actually shivering lightly. The reactors work conservatively when the crew goes to sleep, thus diverting all of its heat only to the upper levels where the bedrooms were at.

Kei got up from his seat and walked to the sleeping man, only for his frown to deepen when he noticed how severely Tadashi was shivering. It didn’t help when the table was of metal material. He took off his own jacket and covered Tadashi with it, hoping it could play a part in warming him up. He was left in the thin black shirt of his in the cold temperature but he’s fine with that.

Something bloomed in his chest.

He’ll protect Tadashi.

Especially in this hell hole of a ship they’re in.

While Kei and Tadashi kept watch in Security, Tobio and Shoyo took their place in Admin to watch the map. Initially it was supposed to be Koushi and someone else but the crew refused, telling him that he needed a break and time to recollect his thoughts. No one would be able to recover from deaths of two close people in a week fully.

“I honestly have no idea who’s who right now.” Tobio sighed, staring at the moving dots.

Shoyo nodded his head in agreement. “Same. All I know is that you and I were in Medbay and Suga-san was reporting back to Headquarters.”

“Speaking of reporting, has Suga-san said anything yet?”

“Nothing… Maybe he wanted to.. But after all that happened, if I was Suga-san, I would push back any additional information later.”

The taller man hummed. It was hard to keep track of who’s who in the admin map, especially when the crewmates were constantly moving. Tobio crossed his arms against his chest and leaned back against the chair, letting out a long breath.

“Do you ever wonder… how Daichi-san and Tanaka-san felt at that moment?” Tobio began all of a sudden. “Imagine the fear they felt.”

“Yeah…” Shoyo said, eyes downcast. “I guess it’s worse for Tanaka-san. He was already dreading inside.”

“I couldn’t imagine how Kiyoko-san and Yachi would react to the news. It would be a nightmare. Losing a husband. Losing a father. All because of some stupid mission.”

“Do you regret going up into space, Kageyama?”

Tobio sighed. “Maybe. I only did this for the money. I’m only your Research Assistant after all.”

“I am genuinely interested in the research…. But lately, I feel like I don’t wish to continue this mission after all.” Shoyo admitted. “Maybe if I was a little dumber, I wouldn’t have gotten a master’s degree and be playing volleyball with only a diploma by my side.”

“You still have that passion for volleyball, huh.”

“Definitely. I’m devoted to volleyball.”

The taller man scoffed. “Sure. We could play a few sets once we head back.”

Shoyo put on a small smile. “I’m in.”

Minutes passed by in silence when Tobio suddenly twirled his chair to face the computers, startling Shoyo in the process. He searched through the files, earning the shorter man’s curiosity.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Do you think Suga-san downloaded the recording of the day where Daichi-san died?”

“Maybe. Why don’t you check?”

They found the file after a few minutes, lips pursing in confusion when he realised there was no other dot other than Daichi’s in Electrical. Shoyo then stared at the admin map which was playing its last 24 hour recording. It was the same case with Ryuunosuke. There was no one in his room other than him. 

“Something feels weird.” He commented.

“Same here. How come there was nobody nearby when they died? Shouldn’t the chip detect every move?” Tobio wondered.

“Maybe they went bat-shit crazy and killed themselves?”

Without hesitation, Tobio made a face towards the orange haired’s comment. “The hell? That’s not even possible. Tanaka-san’s neck was snapped in an inhumane way. There was no way he was able to twist his neck like that, boke.”

“Okay, okay! Sorry that guess was dumb.”

“So my guesses are…. That whoever who’s going on a killing spree actually knew how to disable the chip from being detected so his movements won’t be recorded.”

A few beats of silence passed by them as they tried to digest the new information. Simultaneously, they looked at each other.

“I think I know who.” They both said in unison.

“Don’t tell Suga-san or anyone about this.” Shoyo said, eyes serious.

“If I get hurt, you know who it is.”

A smirk grew on their lips. 

Ah this feeling of victory. Was this how it felt to win?

“Let’s get him soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope the story isn't going too slow T^T i want to go more in depth among all the characters and the way their coping with the situation... i hope it's okayy :((


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A crisis

Chikara locked himself in his room, staring at the floor. His eyes were puffy from crying too much. He felt numb. This was the longest he had felt like this. He’s normally one of the firm and mentally strong members of the team. Today’s event had to flip the cards on him.

“Ennoshita? Can you open the door please?”

And he had forgotten that Koushi had been knocking on his door over and over.

“I want to talk…. Can you please let me in?”

“Go away.” Chikara croaked, pressing his legs against his chest. “I want to be alone.”

“No you don’t. Please, let me in.”

Koushi was persistent. After fifteen minutes of standing outside the door, Chikara reluctantly let him in. He felt irritated. Koushi slid the door close behind him and sighed.

“Look, I’m sorry.”

“An apology won’t fix anything.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you here?” Chikara snapped.

“I want you to hear me out… please?” Koushi whispered.

The younger man was unsure of what to do. Looking away from the vice-captain he fixed his eyes on his white pants.

“Okay.”

“I was… not in the right state of mind when I found a lead. I was angry, upset and- I don’t know, I felt like I had to avenge Daichi’s death. I was so eager for that to happen that I impulsively accused Tanaka. I know it doesn’t excuse me from my mistakes but I hope you forgive me for my wrongdoing.” Koushi explained.

“You did what you had to do. You did nothing wrong.” Chikara murmured.

“I’m not a good vice-captain, En. I’m sorry. If only I was better, he would be still-”

“Stop apologising. I don’t want to think about him now.”

Tears had clouded Chikara’s vision as the very scene of him walking into Ryuunosuke’s room flashed across his mind. It hurt him so much. Even though his feelings were not reciprocated, he felt so much emotional pain that moment he saw the person he loved dead on his chair.

“How did you handle it? Daichi’s death I mean.” Chikara asked.

Koushi put on a sad smile. “I don’t. I can’t handle it. I’ve been with him for years… suddenly with his voice missing, everything felt so strange. It’s worse when I realise that he won’t come back forever. Like he’s gone and never coming back.”

The latter wanted to intervene but Koushi had gone deep in his mind for him to stop.

“It does not help when Daichi’s room is right beside mine. Every night I would wonder what our amazing captain would do. He’s often busy…. I would distract him from his work to make him feel better. I had to put down all my picture frames I had with him from my desk. Just thinking about him- just fucking hurts.

I miss him a lot you know. Sometimes I wonder if I should feel like this for a friend. It’s like something inside of me is telling me something that I have no clue about. A part of me craves for Daichi’s presence again. He was part of my life- maybe he  _ was _ my life, I just never noticed. I feel empty. I’m sorry that I didn’t cry when Tanaka died… I don’t think my heart was even there to break.”

Chikara stared at the older. There were tears in Koushi’s eyes but he was stopping it from falling. He was keeping a strong exterior but deep inside he’s broken.

“Then I guess we’re both the same. Except that you had Daichi for the longest time in your life.” Chikara commented.

Koushi chuckled bitterly and nodded. “Yeah.” he murmured. “En… Can you work side by side with me from now on? I know your position is merely Administration but I don’t think I can do this on my own.”

“Why are you suddenly trusting me?”

“Trust can be a great help or a double-edged sword…. It’s a risk to take at this point.”

Eyes downcast, Chikara accepted the offer. 

“Okay. I think avenging Tanaka’s death sounds nice too.”

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Three days have passed since Ryuunosuke’s passing. The bodies were then moved to a colder freezer of temperature -20 degrees celsius to further slow down the decomposition process. After that night, the younger ones reported no suspicious activity and that Ryuu had been in his room all day long and no one visited. 

Koushi informed the team about the current situation. No one reacted positively. And with that, night patrol became a daily routine. The crew would take turns, ensuring the safety of the ship. Koushi had not contacted Headquarters either. There was something in his gut that told him he should not trust Headquarters either.

The knife Yuu had picked up was free of fingerprints other than his. Shoyo and Tadashi, the scientists of the group, helped make a suitable kit to detect any fingerprints on it- since the ship had nothing of that sort. Of course, who would expect a crime to happen on a ship.

They tried to look through who entered the kitchen to hide the knife but it was too hard to even find one lead with the timing of Ryuu’s death being unknown and that there was constant movement in and out the kitchen.

The atmosphere was unsettling. Being in a room on their own would make one feel uncomfortable, fearing the worst. It’s not always possible to constantly move in pairs- sometimes even moving in pairs could turn out dangerous.

“Suga. We have a problem.” 

Koushi looked away from the computer and turned his head to the door of Admin, seeing Asahi standing by there, with a look of worry.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know what’s going on but I was about to refuel the engines when I realised that the fuel supply was decreasing. Like someone’s taking them away.”

Koushi’s eyebrows furrowed. “So we’re running out of fuel?”

Asahi nodded.

“Shit.” 

Polus was about five days away. 

“Can we last till Polus? We can refuel there once we reach.” Koushi asked.

“I don’t think so… I don’t think we’ll even last another two days.”

The vice-captain groaned and stood up from his chair, hands on his hips as his eyes were closed shut, thinking hard. There should be a space station nearby that they could refuel. 

“Okay, thanks for informing me. I’ll deal with this.” He said when Asahi walked away. 

He knew there were two machines in the ship that needed fuel, the Reactor machines and the O2 generator. What else would need fuel at this point? He took his radio and called for Kei.

“Tsukkishima, come to Admin now.”

Within a few minutes Kei was already in Admin, waiting for the vice-captain’s orders. “Yes, Suga-san?”

“How much fuel do you use for the O2 generator?” Koushi asked.

“Significantly lesser than how much is needed for the Reactors. Why?”

“Asahi told me that the fuel supply was decreasing all of a sudden. Happen to know why?”

“All of a sudden? He told me there was enough to go around. Just enough to reach Polus.” Kei informed Koushi.

“When was that?” 

“I don’t remember… oh, the day of Tanaka-san’s death.”

Had the killer stolen some fuel then while everyone’s distracted? But everyone was at Ryuu’s death scene as far as he could remember.

“On another note, Suga-san. I noticed there was a leak on the O2 generator.”

Koushi’s breath was cut short. “What do you mean leak?”

“I taped over it, not to worry but there were some cuts on the tubes. I didn’t check it for a few days and found it in a bad state.” Kei explained. “Lost quite a lot of fuel, if I were to be honest but I only replenished how much I needed. It’s not much as I would say.”

The poor vice-captain was stressed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down back on his chair. “Okay. You’re free to go.”

The younger man bowed and left Admin, leaving Koushi in the room, devastated. The only choice now was to refuel in a space station but which. He then ordered Hisashi to come by since Hisashi knows the most second to Tadashi about the map.

“We’re running out of fuel.” Koushi began.

The look of shock across Hisashi’s face was expected. “I thought we had enough.”

“We went astray for a week. Our fuel has gone to waste.”

Hisashi immediately bowed as an apology. “I apologise for my incompetence for being in charge of Navigation. I will not leave the steering wheel unsupervised for days even if it’s on auto-pilot.”

Koushi sighed. “You better stay firm to that.” He mumbled. “Is there a shortest way to get to the nearest space station? We need to refuel.”

“At the direction we are going in, only MIRAHQ is the nearest. It would take a day and a half, plus minus.”

“MIRAHQ, huh… It’s under our organisation, if I’m not wrong.”

“Yes, it is. But I am not sure who is in-charge of MIRAHQ.”

“Doesn’t matter. Set course to MIRAHQ. Shortest journey possible. Our fuel will run out in less than two days. You’re free to go.”

“Noted, Suga-san.”

Koushi rubbed his temples, breathing in and out slowly to calm himself down. He then got up to find Chikara who’s mainly in charge of Comms, to find the right frequency to match with MIRAHQ’s to inform them of their arrival. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's not much of a cliffhanger in this chapter :( hope it wasnt boring...
> 
> anyways do comment your thoughts about who might be the imposter !! it's fun to discuss with other readers too ^^


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange happenings and a broken vice-captain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year everyone!! here is an update for you all !!

Tobio placed down a sample into the hood and picked up another one, making sure there was no anomaly in the samples. So far about 10% of the samples had changed condition since they took off, Tobio hoped that the percentage of usable samples stayed at least above 75% in order for the experiment to work. 

“Oi. Can you come here for a second?” He called for Shoyo on his radio.

Suddenly the door of Medbay shut. Poor Tobio flinched at the loud sound. He blinked in confusion as he put his samples down and walked to the door, taking out his card to swipe it open, only for it to jam.

“Oi, Hinata. Is this a joke?!” He shouted on his radio.

Static. Nothing can be heard. 

Tobio cursed under his breath. These doors were too thick for communication to reach on the other side. He literally had no idea what exactly is the purpose for such thick walls. It’s not like anyone is going to make love on the ship.

“Hey! Why is the door closed?! Open up, Bakageyama!” Shoyo shouted from the other side.

“I can’t! It’s jammed!” Tobio yelled back.

“Shit! Hold up I’ll get Tsukishima. He’ll know what to do.”

“What?! Him?!”

“Just wait!”

Tobio continued to swipe his card, in hopes that the door would open. He then heard a few soft thuds coming from deep inside the room. It was soft, very soft. Was it some random mouse in the ship? Wait what? Mouse in the ship miles away from Earth? Impossible. The thuds continued and only grew softer and softer until it eventually couldn’t be heard. He stood there in silence. How many minutes had passed?

“Kageyama! Are you okay in there?!” 

Tadashi’s outside.

“Yeah.. I’m fine..” He murmured. 

He doubted the other side could hear but he was too bothered to care. What was that soft thud? Where was it coming from? His eyes landed on the lid of the air vent, located nicely right in front of the MedScan. Could it be-

“Finally!”

The door swung open, Kei, Tadashi and Shoyo standing by the open door. While Shoyo and Tadashi were relieved, Kei was not amused. 

“I was trying to do my job and I had to save your sorry ass from being locked in.” He said, bluntly as he walked. “Try and not to get yourself locked in, will ya?”

“The door closed on me! I didn’t do anything!” Tobio defended himself. He then turned his attention to Shoyo and Tadashi. “How did he get me out?”

“I don’t know. Technical stuff. Not my forte.” Shoyo brushed off.

The freckled man shrugged as well. “All he did was open the case and reset the lock. Maybe you should get your card checked. Maybe there’s a fault in your card scan?”

Tobio looked at his card. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. 

“I can inform Suga-san for you if you still have stuff to do.” Tadashi offered.

“No it’s fine. I’ll see him later.” 

“Oh. Okay. Hinata, why don’t you stay with Kageyama for now? Until his card’s been fixed.”

Shoyo nodded. “Sure, I don’t mind. I need to stop lazing around in the first place.”

“Our workload is huge in Polus. So it’s fair we don’t do much now.” Tadashi pointed out, smiling. “I’ll go now. Keep up the good work!”

Tobio’s lips were pressed into a thin line. “Things are getting weirder in this place.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice for me to notice that.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


The day went rather smoothly except for the fiasco with Tobio’s card. Kei checked the doors and informed them that it was probably a glitch in the system but there was no way to confirm if its a malfunction as Kei was not an expert. Their former expert was lying down in the -20 degrees celsius freezer, dead.

Course had been set to MIRAHQ for refueling. Chikara was able to contact the station on time, informing the team in charge of their arrival. The team had not said anything about themselves, Koushi could only hope that the person at the other side of the line was not an enemy. 

The day was exhausting, he would say. Since they shifted course to MIRAHQ, there was some debris in their path, running towards them at high speed. It was lucky Yuu was near Weapons to be able to annihilate any accelerating debris from damaging the ship. Koushi walked up the stairs, tired. Tobio and Shoyo were in-charge of night patrol in Admin while Yuu and Asahi did Security. 

Now it’s his time to rest.

He walked to his room, ready to swing open his door and throw himself onto his bed when he heard,

_ “Suga! I just made that bed!” _

Koushi’s whole body turned cold. He turned to his left to where Daichi’s room was located. His hand gripped onto his door handle firmly.

“He’s gone, Suga. He’s gone. You’re hearing things.” He mumbled to himself.

_ “Get your ass off my bed, for fuck’s sake.” _

His heart felt heavy. It was like he couldn’t accept Daichi’s death. He took a few steps towards Daichi’s door and brushed his hand against it. It had not been touched since his death… maybe it’s time to break the streak now? 

Koushi opened the door and stepped in, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden tsunami of emotions. Everything inside the room… He bit his lip and walked to the bed. Daichi liked it done neat and would get upset if anyone messed it up. He brushed his hands against the table, sighing at how speckless it was.

He eyed the picture frames leaning against the wall. A picture of his family, a picture of his niece… and a picture of him and Daichi. With shaking hands he picked it up, his lips unconsciously curling into a sad smile. The Sawamura Daichi in the picture was laughing…. The Sawamura Daichi now was gone forever.

The silver haired man blinked away the tears before they could fall and put the frame down. He opened the notebook sitting beside the computer. Daichi may be a neat freak but his handwriting was the total opposite. His messy handwriting was all over the pages in the notebook. Koushi being the annoying (yet great) friend he was, would make fun of Daichi’s handwriting.

Koushi missed this.

Koushi missed happiness and joy.

Koushi missed Daichi.

He walked to his wardrobe, opening the door. The clothes hung smelt of the perfume Daichi would use on a daily basis. Daichi never changed his perfume. He would buy the same thing over and over again. Was it because Koushi bought it for him the first time? Daichi’s choice of fragrance was questionable at the beginning, Koushi decided to help.

The vice-captain took out a black shirt from the wardrobe, touching the cloth. It was Daichi’s favourite type of material. Koushi’s eyes burned with tears as he buried his nose into the shirt, missing Daichi’s scent. When had he felt like this? When had he become so attached to a perfume worn by his friend?

Koushi’s silent sniffles turned into cries as he fell onto the floor, crying into Daichi’s shirt, calling out his name over and over, apologising over and over…. He longed for Daichi to come back. 

But he’s gone now, isn’t he?

“Dai… why did you have to go? I miss you so much… I can’t do this alone…” He cried.

_ “No, you can. I believe in you.”  _

Immediately Koushi looked up, letting out a loud sob when Daichi came to his sight. He reached out to touch him, make sure he’s fine.

He’s okay… he’s alive.

_ “Suga, you can do it, even on your own.” _

Koushi’s heart shattered when what he reached for disappeared. His arm fell down onto the floor. His body trembled. His hand clutched onto the shirt. His face streamed with tears. His mind was a blur. And with a deep breath,

Koushi let out a shrill wail of utter despair and lost hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im probably gonna go busier this year so... updates will be slower? i'm sorryyy huuhu i will try and dedicate my time for thisss


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A regular day with a slight twist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiii im back haha its not the best honestly but like yeah.... im pretty busy rn but i still tryna get into updating as soon as i can haha

He ran.

It was dark and silent. The only thing that could be heard was his heavy breathing and his loud footsteps. His footsteps echoed in the empty and dark hall. He couldn’t see anything.

He continued to run.

For what purpose, he didn’t know. His body was telling him to run far far away. A deep unsettling whirlpool of fear tumbled in his stomach. His mind told him something was wrong. His legs were aching. How long had he been running?

He couldn’t breathe.

He’s tired, exhausted…. But he couldn’t stop. He was suffocating. Was there no air? His legs were forcing him to run but for what? He gasped for air. His lungs were burning. He needed to breathe. He was running aimlessly, he realised. It was dark. Where else could he be running when there were no walls?

His legs gave out and he fell on the floor. It was wet, puddles of water everywhere. He coughed as he desperately tried to take in air to calm his dying lungs. He looked up to see two shadows, darker than the dark looking down at him.

His throat clenched. His airway was restricted. Something was choking him. He cried to help but no voice came. Tears stung in his eyes. Fear devoured him as the shadowed figures got closer. He flailed around, attempting to scream but there was no voice to let out.

Then he heard a bang.

He turned to see the source of sound. 

Another dark figure stood a few metres away from him, eyes red. A gun was in its hands, he noticed. The pair of glowing red eyes glared at him and the figure raised its gun. He wanted to run. He didn’t want to die. Let him free please.

The trigger was pulled.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Hisashi screamed as he sat up from his bed. The man was covered in sweat and was breathing heavily. His neck felt as if it had been touched, put into a tight grip- was someone literally choking him in his sleep? He grabbed the bottle of water by his desk and downed it in second. 

He took in a few deep breaths before lying back down to sleep. He tried to close his eyes but he feared the figures again. He rubbed his face with shaking hands and got out of his bed. He knew that he shouldn’t be out and walking, especially when night patrol is ongoing. He opened the door and walked to Kazuhito’s door, his feet shuffling against the cold metal floor of the ship.

“Narita?” He sleepily called after knocking the door. “Are you awake?”

A few soft thuds from inside and the door swung open, revealing a sleepy Kazuhito standing by the door. Hisashi felt bad… he wanted to turn back and not disturb his friend. He had been a bit too reliant on Kazuhito lately.

“Is everything okay?” He heard the other ask.

Hisashi opted to stay and turned to leave. 

“Kino, you okay? You normally don’t do this.” 

“I-I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Come in.”

He hung his head low and walked back towards the room, avoiding Kazuhito’s eyes. He felt ashamed that he had to seek help from someone, especially when it would cause them trouble. 

“I had a nightmare…” He admitted.

Kazuhito smiled. “Okay. I’m glad that’s all that’s bothering you.” He said. “You want cuddles? I can’t sleep anyways so I don’t mind having you here.”

Hisashi finally looked up. He’s blessed to have such a good friend.

“T-Thanks, Narita.”

The two ended up in bed, snuggled against one another. Their suit pants did nothing more than be an obstruction to comfort but they have been used to it. Hisashi fidgeted a bit as adjusted his pink pants, hoping to get himself comfortable at least. He also knew Kazuhito wasn’t entirely comfortable either. 

For some reason he was ready to say fuck the rules from the company to keep their pants on everytime (with the exception of bathroom moments).

But it was also for the safety of everyone.

So let’s not.

Hisashi leaned against the taller man’s shoulder, listening to Kazuhito’s calm breathing. He felt safe in Kazuhito’s arms, like there was an assurance that he would be safe with him. Hisashi felt his heart beat pick up in pace as his cheeks burned red.

“Not asleep yet?” Kazuhito asked.

Hisashi shook his head. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Like I said, I can’t sleep.”

“Something bothering you?”

“Maybe.”

Kazuhito sighed and looked down while Hisashi looked up. The room was dimly lit, with Kazuhito’s night light turned on at his desk. Those calm eyes… Hisashi knew there was something behind that facade.

“You okay? I haven’t seen you cry after all the shit that happened.” He whispered softly.

“I… don’t want to cry.” Kazuhito mumbled.

“It’s fine to cry.. You know that right?”

“I know. I just want to be strong for you and Ennoshita. You’re scarred to life when you saw Tanaka’s dead body and Ennoshita is still mourning over his death. It’s not fair for everyone to be weak.”

Hisashi shuffled a bit so he would be directly facing the other. “You don’t have to be, you know that.”

“I want to.. For you guys. Especially  _ you.  _ “ Kazuhito said, his voice soft and scared. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. After seeing the downfall of Suga-san’s mental state following Daichi’s death, I feared it would be the same for you. I lost Ennoshita to a pit of darkness that swallowed him up when Tanaka died. I don’t want the same for you.”

Tears welled up in Hisashi’s eyes. He hugged the other and cried into his shoulder, staining Kazuhito’s shirt with his tears.

“I don’t want you to put yourself away like that. Your mental state matters too. I don’t want to see you suffering because of me. Please… Look after yourself too.”

And like magic, drops of tears fell from Kazuhito’s eyes. The taller man smiled and let out a shaky laugh, hugging the latter back.

“Thanks, Kino.” He whispered, silently shedding his tears.

Pent up emotions were finally set free, in forms of tears and silent cries. Hisashi hated this feeling of being a burden to someone he cared for. He doesn’t need someone to risk themselves for him. It’s not worth it. Eventually the two of them calmed down,

“Can we stay like this for a while? It feels nice… and safe.” Kazuhito mumbled.

Hisashi snuggled closer, humming. “Yeah.”

They may not see it but they found solace in one another.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

Yuu sat in the freezer, hugging himself as he shivered in the cold. He’s been in there for about ten minutes and boy he felt like fainting. He had his sweater on but it wasn’t helping. He bent down to see the handprint marks on Ryuu’s neck, wondering who it was. The hand size was long and slender but almost everyone except his and Shoyo’s matched. 

“Why did this have to happen… huh, Tanaka?” He sighed, covering the body back with the cloth.

It was uncomfortable to be in the freezer, as other people would say. Who would want to walk into a room of dead people that were their friends? Yuu would care less about the situation. His close friend had died in cold blood, what else was there to do?

Yuu had not gotten anything other than handprints. He was frustrated, simply said. He wanted to find who killed his friend. He breathed out shakily and walked out of the freezer, still slightly shivering. He splashed his face with warm water from the sink, closing his eyes.

“You’re here this early, Noya-san?” 

He snapped his head up in an instant. Ever since all this, his senses had been on an overrun. Shoyo was standing by the fridge, helping Kazuhito and Hisashi prepare breakfast. 

“Yeah..” Yuu responded warily.

Without wasting any time, he walked out of the kitchen. Asahi was already downstairs at the Cafeteria, looking all sleepy, his hair messy and unkempt. Yuu sat beside him and leaned against the taller man. The latter visibly flinched at how cold the smaller was.

“Were you in the freezer again?” Asahi asked, his voice tired.

Yuu hummed. He then looked up, frowning. “You look like shit.”

“I know. We haven’t slept since yesterday.”

“I mean, we were assigned to night patrol. Not like we benefitted anything- just saying.”

Asahi yawned and rubbed his eyes simultaneously. He’s so tired he could hibernate. All the mental and physical strain was definitely taking a huge toll on him. Yuu patted his back and in an instant Asahi placed his head on Yuu’s shoulder despite the height and size difference. His heart skipped a beat at the sight.

_ This is not the time, Nishinoya Yuu. _ He thought.

Tobio walked down the stairs from the rooms, bowing good mornings to Yuu and Asahi before heading to the kitchen, commenting loudly: “I’m thirsty.” It was a calm morning, they would say. After a while Koushi and Chikara joined them in the Cafeteria. They’ll be dropping by at MIRAHQ for refueling soon, maybe in another four to five hours. Hopefully there would be enough fuel by then.

“How’s the fuel quantity?” Koushi asked, sitting across Asahi who immediately sat up from his leaning position against Yuu.

“Enough for a few hours. Five to six?”

“Ok that’s good.”

“Have you gotten in touch with MIRAHQ yet?” Yuu questioned.

Chikara fiddled with his white suit pants. “I have. But they have not identified themselves. We got the green light to come by and refuel but I’m still a bit skeptical of who we’re meeting.”

“There were seven crews before us right?”

“Yeah. I still have no idea who they are. We never met, you know.”

“Regardless of whether we know whoever’s in-charge of MIRAHQ, we still have to refuel. If not we’re stranded here. We need to get to Polus.” Koushi informed.

“Do we still have to do the experiment? In this… state?” Asahi asked, cautious of his words. “I mean-”

“Even if we want to stop, we don’t have enough fuel to head back to Earth. We can just simply finish this stupid experiment we’re assigned with and go home.”

“I don’t know…”

Yuu watched his surroundings. The kitchen was busy for sure. He then watched Tobio leave the kitchen and enter Medbay. It was a daily routine for Tobio at this point. Preparing the samples before he could test them out for anomaly. Yuu was about to turn away when he heard the door to Medbay slam close.

_ Huh? _ He thought.

He got up from his seat and walked towards Medbay. He was about to grab his radio when he realised that the walls were too thick to begin with. He banged against the door.

“Oi, Kageyama what are you doing in there?” He yelled.

He definitely caught the others’ attention. Tobio did not respond. Yuu then took out his card and swiped it against the lock system. He frowned when he realised it refused to let him in. He swiped again and again.

“Nishinoya, what’s going on?” He heard Koushi call.

He was going on a rampage. Was it Tobio all the while? What was this suspicious activity? He froze in his actions when he heard a soft thud from the other side.

“Someone get this open!” He yelled at anyone nearby.

Shoyo, who heard the yell, ran to Medbay first, sighing. “Again?”

“What do you mean ‘again’?” 

“Just yesterday it closed on him.”

“The hell?”

“Bakageyama, you okay there?!” Shoyo shouted.

No response.

“Weird.” He mumbled.

He then took out his card and swiped it the same way Yuu did but the door didn’t budge. Yuu pushed Shoyo away, mumbling “Keep back” under his breath and kicked the lock when the door immediately swung open.

“Finally.”

Yuu froze at the spot. 

Right in front of him lying down on the floor was Kageyama Tobio crouched down, bleeding profusely from his abdomen.

“T-Tsukkishima….” was the last thing Tobio breathed out before he fell down unconscious.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cry of a broken friend

He could feel his heart racing at the sight of the simulator. He was up next as the fifth person to enter the huge machine. It was the third day of training yet he was not used to the simulator. He watched it spin at high speed, hearing a mate’s voice behind the speaker as he voiced out his movements.

_ “Ejecting vessel.”  _

It was a routine for the first five days, training for the basic needs of an astronaut out in space. Then the company would select it’s chosen crewmates. Many among them (the 25 of them) were fresh out of college with an advanced qualification that got them an opportunity to work in the space company.

Kageyama Tobio was among them.

He was alone on the first day, the sour face he was born with repelled the other trainees from him. He wanted company. That was all he wanted. 

And he did get it.

Hinata Shoyo.

Their first meeting was unconventional you would say. Both of them ended up in an argument but eventually made up in a day or two. They became friends, bickering more than the sand in the whole of Earth. Tobio will (sadly) admit Shoyo made his trainee life better.

“Okay, Kageyama you’re up next.” Said their trainer.

Tobio nodded as he watched Shoyo, the trainee before him in the take off simulator, tumble out of the machine. It would take a while for the body to adjust to the constantly changing physics and the fastest to get used to it will be selected. He remembered the first time he went inside the simulator. He almost passed out.

_ Inside  _ the simulator.

Shoyo looked up and grinned widely, almost laughing when he saw Tobio behind the glass window. Tobio frowned. Even though he would not want to admit this, he cared a lot about Shoyo. The tangerine head did not need to smile and assure him when he himself was feeling like the world was about to end.

But Tobio was grateful nonetheless.

“Kageyama, up you go.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“KAGEYAMA!”

Shoyo’s shrill scream pierced through the walls. He fell on his knees, his hands shaking as he tried to touch the lifeless bleeding body before him.

“No, no, NO! Not you too!” He yelled, trying to get a hold of Tobio.

Yuu hit him in the back of the head. “Snap out of it! I might be able to save him, help me carry him up on a bed!”

“Hey! What’s going on?!” Koushi yelled as he ran towards their direction while the rest of the crew followed suit. “Oh shit.”

“I can’t carry him on my own! Help me!”

Asahi, being one of the strongest among them, offered to help, carrying Tobio’s dead weight off the floor and onto one of the beds. Shoyo stayed frozen at the door as Yuu furiously tore Tobio’s shirt off to identify the stabbing wounds. The commotion couldn’t snap Shoyo out of his state of shock. 

So far there was only one wound on Tobio’s abdomen but was a very deep cut that only sped up the blood loss.

“Put pressure on his wound!” Yuu ordered. He has the upper hand for now. “Asahi, get the oxygen mask! Kinoshita, get me a pail of water! Narita, take off Tobio’s suit for me! I need warm towels, quick!”

Shoyo’s world started to spin. His very friend was on the medical bed, losing his life faster than he lost his blood. He wanted to hold him. That motionless hand. He needed to hold it. Tears streamed down his face as he took a wobbly step forward only to fall on the floor. Chikara held him tight as he started to trash, screaming for Tobio’s name.

“Heat this up! Now! I need to secure the stitches!”

He was terrified.

The blood was now everywhere. Koushi’s pants, Kazuhito’s hands, Yuu’s arms and the white colored bed that had now become a deep shade of red. Shoyo cried as the panic in Yuu’s face started to worsen. 

“IV drip come on!” Yuu shouted as he checked Tobio’s pulse.

Kazuhito, who’s hands now stained with blood, quickly grabbed the IV drip. It was unfortunate there was only one medical specialist in the room. If it was Yuu who got hurt, who would be the one who’ll save him?

“Hinata, breathe. Breathe.” Chikara whispered.

Shoyo cried as he watched Tobio’s skin become paler. “Kageyama, please…”

“He’s a fighter, Hinata. He won’t lose.”

The more Shoyo couldn’t control his sobs. He wished he had followed Tobio to Medbay earlier instead of helping set breakfast up. He could have prevented this from happening.

“He needs blood.” He heard Yuu whisper. “What blood type is he?!”

“AB.” Shoyo croaked, his voice soft and barely audible. “He’s an AB.”

Chikara’s heart broke at the sight of the younger male, trying desperately to save his friend’s life. “Nishinoya! AB! Hinata said AB!”

Yuu moved away from the body. “Well he better be!” He yelled, moving away to where they have packed emergency blood bags. “I need someone to set me up the tubes! Quickly!”

“Noya, he’s losing a lot of blood now.” Koushi informed, still pressing hard onto the wound.

“I know, I know! I’m trying.”

While the rest of the crew panicked in the small area of Medbay, Chikara held onto Shoyo tight. His mind was in a panic. Who could have done it? Koushi’s busy and so were the rest. Shoyo could barely hold himself together. Then he looked around, counting.

There were only 8 of them. 

Tadashi and Kei.

They weren’t here.

Chikara was about to grab his radio when Shoyo fainted in his arms. He started to panic, shouting for help. It was chaos. Bloodied hands stained everything in Medbay. Yuu focused on treating Tobio with Asahi’s and Koushi’s help while Chikara, Hisashi and Kazuhito tended to Shoyo. 

It took them twenty minutes before everything calmed down. Yuu collapsed onto the floor, bloodied hands in his hair. He had never panicked so much in his entire life before. Tobio laid on the medical bed, an oxygen mask over his face and tubes inserted into his arm. The blood transfusion was a success but there was a fear gnawing at the back of Yuu’s head that they didn’t ensure the safety measures.

Yuu kicked himself.

What if Tobio ended up dying due to infection and impractical methods?

Koushi groaned. Two of their youngests were down, one of them being in critical condition. He doubted Tobio would wake up any time soon. He turned around at a tap on his shoulder, facing Chikara.

“Suga-san.. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima aren't here.” He whispered.

There was no need to elaborate. The hints behind it were clear.

There was a huge possibility that either one or both of them were impostors.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Tadashi’s eyes fluttered awake. He looked up to where Kei was, sleeping the nearest to the wall with his arms wrapped nicely across Tadashi’s body. Tadashi’s cheeks turned red in color. It wasn’t the first time the two of them had slept together on the same bed, waking up to see each other’s face first thing in the morning but it still never failed to throw Tadashi off.

Maybe Tadashi would admit that he liked Kei.

But what type of like? He didn’t know.

A like-like? Or an admiration-like? Or a friend-like? Family-like?

Only God knows.

He stared up at Kei softly snoring in his sleep. Tadashi realised Kei looked the softest and calmest in his sleep, unlike his usual cold facade every time he’s awake and moving. He giggled to himself and snuggled closer, listening to the slow beats of Kei’s heart. 

Being in Kei’s arms was comforting, needless to say.

He closed his eyes again so he would sleep.

Sure, they’ll get scolded for being late for breakfast but a few minutes won’t hurt. Tadashi leaned against Kei’s chest and relaxed, when the door to Kei’s room swung open violently, showing a very furious and aggravated Sugaware Koushi by the door. Tadashi shrieked in surprise while Kei woke up startled in shock.

“Get the fuck up both of you.” He snarled. “We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hii im getting pretty tired ngl as school has started already... hais i'll still try to update this tho !! i would estimate that this story would end in roughly 35 chapters? probably lesser at the rate of how the story is going on right now but yes, it would be about that long i think. so do stay with me !! i'm currently working on chapter 17 so please be patient !! hehe


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reaching out for new foreign hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes im back HAHA

“For the fourth time, I was sleeping with Yamaguchi.”

Interrogating the two of them was going nowhere. Could they be the possible impostors? Or was it purely a coincidence that the both of them happened to be still sleeping in bed while the attack happened?

Nothing made sense.

Koushi remembered being at the same table as Asahi and Chikara. He knew Shoyo was helping Hisashi and Kazuhito out during preparations for breakfast. Yuu was the last one to see Tobio but was locked out. And now that Tadashi and Kei claimed that they had been in the room for the entire time does not click with the timeline.

Shoyo was still out and unconscious. And Yuu was cooped up in his room with Asahi after all that fiasco that happened.

But most importantly their most important witness was now in Medbay at the brink of death, fighting for his life.

“I remembered Nishinoya telling me that Kageyama mentioned your name before he passed out. Why do you think that happened?” Hisashi asked.

“Like I said, I don’t know.”

Koushi watched from the door. Kei was being interrogated in Security while Tadashi was being questioned in Navigation by Chikara. The two had to be separated for no influence in answer. 

“Listen, you’d have to admit if it was you who hurt Kageyama.” Hisashi said, firmly.

“I will admit that I did  _ not  _ hurt him. How in hell would I be able to do that when I’m asleep?”

The vice-captain sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Someone’s lying. He knew it. Or someone was fast enough to hurt Tobio and go back to their original position. But wouldn’t that be impossible to be as quick as lightspeed?

“I’m going to check on Yamaguchi.” Koushi informed, leaving Kei with Hisashi.

Three people were injured this month… two dead, one barely making it alive. Koushi walked down the halls, passing by Medbay to see Kazuhito mopping the blood stained floor. He made a mental note that if anything happened to Tobio and Shoyo, it would be Kazuhito at fault.

His hands were washed and clean from blood but his suit wasn’t. He could feel the drying blood on the sleeves of his black shirt and the bright red stains of Tobio’s blood were still evident on his cyan colored pants. One would say blood was only blood but to Koushi, this blood was a sign that he failed to protect his crewmates again.

“How is it going?” He asked the moment he got into Navigation. 

“He said that he was asleep with Tsukishima.” Chikara sighed. “How about him?”

“Same thing.”

Tadashi, who’s sitting on one of the chairs, sat up straight. “It’s true! I was with him the entire time! It’s not possible that it was Tsukki who did it!” He insisted.

“I know, you’ve said it more than I could count.” Chikara nodded, sighing again. “So how?” He asked, facing Koushi.

The silver-haired man shook his head. “So both of them were together in bed while Kageyama got hurt. Nothing makes sense at this point. The timeline doesn’t match.”

Without a word, Chikara got up, walked out of Navigation and went up to Weapons with Koushi to have a conversation with one another.

“We’ll just have to check Admin at this point. Three people out of our sight were Hinata, Kinoshita and Narita.” Koushi began. “It hurts me to say this… but they might be the one who plotted Kageyama’s close murder.”

Chikara moved a step closer and whispered, “But aren’t Kageyama and Hinata close? Why would Hinata hurt him?”

“I don’t know.. Who knows all these friendships are fake… To know that they’ve been given this job since the very first day they were brought to training. I don’t know anymore.”

The expression on the younger’s face darkened. It’s back to suspecting people now. He sighed and leaned against a wall, head spinning. 

“It hurts me to think like that.” He mumbled.

Koushi scoffed bitterly. “How do you think I coped the entire time when I found out what is actually going on?” He sighed. “It hurt a lot. I couldn’t even sleep properly to know that there are people among us waiting to kill us.”

“Same… I don’t wish to hurt you when I say this but… I doubt you.” Chikara admitted. “Honestly until now. You were the only one who had access to Tanaka’s room as you said. I don’t like this feeling but I have to live with it. No offence.”

Koushi shook his head. “We have the right to doubt anyone at this point of crisis. I understand. I will suspect you whether you like it or not if you become suspicious.”

“It’s already fated to happen huh.”

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Yuu crouched against the wall, head in his hands as he took deep breaths. He was stripped off his uniform, in his inner wear of black pants and shirt. His uniform was bloodied, Tobio’s blood smeared all over the bright color of his yellow pants. He closed his eyes as he heard the running water coming from the tap as Asahi washed off the blood from his uniform.

“Do you think he’ll live?” Yuu mumbled.

“Of course he will… You saved him.” Asahi replied, hands in the sink.

“ _ Barely _ saved him.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Nishinoya.”

“Easy for you to say. People’s lives are in my hands. And I have failed to protect two.”

Asahi turned off the tap and crouched down, removing Yuu’s hands from messing with his head to cup his face as if to shake him awake from his drowning thoughts. “There is no doctor who succeeds to save everyone’s lives.”

“But-”

“No. It’s okay to fail because you tried.”

Yuu sighed and leaned against Asahi’s touch. “I guess that’s just a reality I’m not ready to face.”

They fell into a peaceful silence when a loud thud came from outside, startling the two of them. Poor Asahi, too scared for his own good, fell on his bum, turning his head to the entrance of the bathroom. At the door stood Kei, probably done with the continuous bugging of questions.

“It wasn’t me.” He said monotonously as if he knew what was in their minds.

Asahi stared at Kei, eyes blown wide for a few good seconds until Kei entered one of the stalls to relieve himself. Yuu realised that Asahi was shaking. He sighed. Asahi had always been a scaredy-cat, screaming at the slightest stuff. He remembered the one day Asahi shouted into the game console, begging for the villain he was running away from to move back.

Yuu looked at the situation before him. Asahi was not the type to gulp down his screams and fear. When he’s scared he’ll voice it out. But this time he was shaking, clearly showing fear that he was holding back. Yuu looked at his palms that had a slight tremble to it. Did Asahi really have to show a brave face? If not why? Was it because he was slowly losing his confidence that Asahi decided that he’ll be the strong one.

Maybe.

Ah, this is all fucked up.

There was no other way to describe the current situation.

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Hisashi removed the ship’s auto-pilot and sat on the chair, ready to navigate it to the desired location. He checked the screen, looking at numbers which Koushi had no idea what they stand for. He then got his hands on the wheel, directing the ship to MIRAHQ. They were approximately ten minutes away from the space station, they’ll have to notify and get info on where to land.

“Ennoshita, you in range?” Koushi asked into the radio.

“ _ Yes. I am beeping them in a minute. _ ” Chikara responded without a waste of time.

“Alright, all ears everyone. We’ll be reaching out to MIRAHQ soon and then landing to refuel. We need everyone to be ready. Do not pounce on anyone even if you saw a familiar face. We do not know who they are and who they work for. Approach with caution. Understood?” 

The fact that he had to act like everyone he was talking to was innocent made him feel sick.

“ _ Noted. _ ” Everyone collectively responded.

Interrogation for Tadashi and Kei had been halted as there was no use. No one was admitting to anything. Koushi just knew either one of them were lying but at the same time, he thought… were they? What if both of them were innocent? Without a doubt he let them go for now. If anything suspicious happens, he’ll get to it as soon as possible.

Besides, there was no point continuing on with the interrogation. They’ll only be wasting time. Koushi hoped the people on the other side were allies, not enemies. Maybe if they were from the same company, he could get advise. But for now, approaching the space station was the first problem.

“Turn on comms.” Koushi ordered.

Hisashi obeyed and flicked on the switch to transmit whatever conversation that was going on in the Communications room to Navigation. Chikara’s voice echoed out of the speaker by the panel.

[A/N: I have absolutely no idea how they talk so uh yeah HAHA]

“This is Skeld00134 calling into MIRAHQ76 for permission to land. Do you copy?” 

After Chikara stopped talking, they were met with static. Koushi’s heart raced against his chest.

_ Please answer, please answer.  _ He prayed.

“I repeat, this is Skeld00134 calling into MIRAHQ76 for permission to land. Do you copy?”

Static, again.

Koushi started to lose hope.

And then,

“Copy that. This is MIRAHQ76 calling into Skeld00134. Permission to land granted. Over.”

A gush of relief rushed through Koushi’s veins. He watched as Hisashi drove the ship closer to MIRAHQ, a rather odd-looking space station in the middle of the dark pits of space. Carefully Hisashi landed nicely on the Launchpad, connecting the ship’s exit to the space station’s entrance. 

Koushi ordered everyone to wait at the Lobby, a level below the Ground Level. He needed to be there to meet the captain of the ship. He has to be the first one to see. With everyone gathered at the Lobby, dressed in their full attire without the headgear, Koushi took in a few deep breaths and hovered his finger above the button to open the door.

“Ready?” Chikara asked, standing beside him.

“It’s not like I have a choice.” Koushi murmured.

He then pressed the button. The door on the other side opened subsequently after they did, leading them to MIRAHQ’s Launchpad. A group of six people stood across them, a tall man with black hair standing in the middle. Koushi stepped into MIRAHQ’s Launchpad, took a few steps forward until it brought them about a metre and a half apart. The rest of the crew followed suit.

Koushi introduced himself, bowing. “I am Sugawara Koushi, vice-captain of the Karasuno crew. Thank you for letting us land to refuel our ship.”

The man in the middle smiled and bowed back. “The name’s Kuroo Tetsurou, captain of the Nekoma crew.”

Nekoma. It’s one under their company.

Tetsurou smiled wider. “Welcome to MIRAHQ.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YESSS NEKOMA IS HEREE I WAS SO EXCITED TO PUT THIS UP AAHHH


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk between the vice-captain and a captain from another crew.

“Welcome to MIRAHQ.”

Koushi would admit… Even though he heard of Nekoma, he knew nothing about the crew.

A taller man with silver hair, stood behind Tetsurou, definitely younger with a look of naivety on his face. Not far away stood someone with a stoic face, with short brown hair, standing with average height. Beside Tetsurou stood three smaller men, one of blonde hair with growing roots, another with black hair and the last with light brown hair.

The team was smaller in number than theirs. Koushi hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was.

“I hope to be able to refuel as soon as possible and refrain from being any nuisance to your team.” He said.

“I apologise for the news but we won’t be able to provide you any fuel immediately.” Tetsurou informed, sadly. “Apparently we had to make our own fuel thus it will take about two to three days for us to be able to refuel your poor ship.”

“Oh.”

“We have a few rooms here if you need to stay as I doubt there would be enough fuel to run electricity in your own ship. I don’t mind letting you stay here for a few nights.”

Koushi started to feel uncomfortable. Are they really on their side?

“No need to be suspicious, Sugawara-san. We are on the same side here. We are victims of the greedy hands of our company.” Tetsurou said, smiling as he widened his arms. “We shall be allies.”

“Thank you.”

_ Do this for the ship. If anything happens we can play dirty and steal their fuel so leave. _

Koushi knew he was being rash but that would mean the best for his team to run away from another additional nuisance.

“In addition to that, we have two injured crewmates that would need help. I hope you can account to that.” Koushi mentioned.

The Nekoma captain smiled. “That’ll be fine. To what extent is their injury?”

“One is critically injured… another fainted in shock.”

“Oh dear. Yaku can help you with that.” 

One of the shorter men, the one with light brown hair nodded in acknowledgement. He must have been the medical specialist among them. It was compulsory to have one- maybe the company knew what was going to happen. 

“We have Nishinoya to assist you if you require our help. I don’t wish to be a nuisance for any longer and would like to be of your benefit.” Koushi said.

“Not to worry. I think what’s more important is the condition of your crew right now. Anyways, less chit-chat. Why don’t you crewmates bring down the injured ones so we can easily set them up in our medical room?” Tetsurou offered.

As the crewmates from both crews followed the order of their captain and vice-captain, Tetsurou invited Koushi deeper into the ship, walking towards MIRAHQ’s Admin. Koushi looked around. For a space station, the place was small, he realised.

“Vice-captain, huh?” Tetsurou spoke up. “I suppose the worst had happened to the captain of your team.”

A sharp pain struck through the silver haired man’s heart. 

“Yes. Unfortunately.” Koushi mumbled.

“It’s fine to be sad about it. I lost my vice-captain. It’s been about five months if I were to think about it.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“No, please don’t apologise.”

Tetsurou sighed and pulled out a chair, sitting by the controls. He interlaced his fingers together as he closed his eyes.

“I’m surprised there was someone out here. It’s been a long time since we've had any calls through comms.” He stated, looking up.

“Really? Are there really no other crews out here?” Koushi asked, mildly surprised.

“Nothing that I know of. We weren’t able to reach out to Headquarters after a while. Then we tried reaching out to any passing ships nearby. We got no response until you came by. May I know what happened?”

“Fuel ran out. Definitely a sabotage if I may say,”

“Hm. Everything odd that goes on would definitely be a sabotage. A way for the imposter to win.”

Koushi rubbed the back of his neck. “Uhm… How do I say this…”

Tetsurou raised an eyebrow, waiting for the latter to continue speaking. “Yes?”

“What if I were to say that we have not caught the murderer yet?” 

Nekoma’s captain’s eyes went wide. “You haven’t?”

“I would say our murderer is fairly intelligent.”

“And? How many people have they killed?”

“Two killed, one injured.”

The taller man then sighed. “Well then. It’s not like I can do anything. The only worst thing that could happen is that your crew dies. We won’t be affected in anyways so I won’t need to worry about the wellbeing of my team.”

“Why not?”

“They are ordered to sabotage the mission their crew was in. They are ordered to not interfere with other works.”

Koushi crossed his arms, a little suspicious about the man’s knowledge about these impostors. “And how do you know that?”

“We kept our little impostor for a few days before he killed himself by ejecting out of the space station. We managed to get information from him. The organisation they’re under was still unknown unfortunately because gosh, I would like to file a lawsuit for the death of my crew members.” Tetsurou complained. “I would say we were lucky to have only one in our crew.”

“I hope that’s the same for us.”

“Our impostor was pretty much a genius himself. He was strategic, I would say. It took us a while to find out who it was. His first victim was Yaku, though. He tried attacking Yaku by covering his eyes but failed to kill him. Yaku was left with numerous scars until now. Terrifying indeed. If only he was on our side, I would love to have a great strategist alongside me for this stupid mission.”

“He is pretty clever I would say, judging by your comments. He was clever enough to hurt the medical specialist first.”

“Shibayama is now training under him to be a medical specialist in case anything bad happens to Yaku.” Tetsurou said. 

“I’m glad Nishinoya is fine. If not I would be ultimately distraught.” Koushi smiled in relief.

“I’m surprised that your medical specialist wasn't touched at all. You said your impostor was a genius, no?” The Nekoma captain pointed out. “Then he would have attacked your medical specialist first. It wasn’t that important to assassinate a captain. Killing a medical specialist would make things a lot easier, wouldn’t it?”

Koushi’s eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. “What do you mean, Kuroo-san?”

“I’m just suggesting that it's either your medical specialist is an impostor or that there is more than one impostor in your crew that there is no need to eliminate an obstacle like a medical specialist.”

Again, here it is. The numerous amounts of possibilities that could spark up from any event. It frustrated him to the core. Not only did he have his own guesses and suspicions, now there were more to consider. Koushi bit his lip.

“But if my medical specialist was an impostor, why would he even bother saving Kageyama, the one who is barely breathing right now.” He asked back.

Tetsurou only shrugged. “I’m only suggesting. The impostors are trained to act, you know. They’re easy to fool you.”

Koushi could feel a rather unsettling feeling down his stomach. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coping in a new environment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay !! ive been too busy for my own liking huhu

"It's a little cramp, sorry."

One of the shorter ones, Shibayama Yuki, informed as he moved some items away. There was just enough space for four of them, them being Hisashi, Kazuhito, Chikara and Tadashi. The other four are in another room, a few rooms away. Hisashi, Kazuhito and Tadashi stood by the door with their futons in their hands.

Yuki wasn't happy with the idea of them sleeping in one of their dead crewmate's rooms, Tadashi noticed. He could see how reluctant he was about moving things away from where they originally were. He understood the pain, Koushi had not moved anything from Daichi's and Ryuunosuke's room after they died.

With the help of Yuki, they managed to fit themselves in any free space and they've collectively agreed to let Chikara sleep on the bed. Hisashi walked by the desk which he'll be sleeping next to, his eyes landing on the picture frames arranged neatly against the wall. Out of curiosity he picked one up, his heart feeling heavy when he scanned the group photo, each of them with smiles on their faces.

"They must have been happy then." Kazuhito piped in, looking over Hisashi's shoulder.

"They were just like us. Two of them died." Hisashi commented, sighing. "I wonder what made them stay and continue the project. It looks like it has been a while."

The taller male shrugged, propping his chin onto Hisashi’s shoulder. "I doubt they are even doing the project anymore. They're just living here."

"Maybe."

Putting down the picture, Hisashi picked up another one. It was a graduation photo, the one in the middle having his convocation suit on with a wide smile on his face. Ah, it reminded Hisashi the day they graduated from university, happy to hold onto their degrees. No one knew what was ahead of them.

Such a disaster they had fallen into.

Tadashi shifted about in his small spot right beside the closet. Everything in the room was cold and slightly dusty after being left untouched for so long. He ensured his futon was neat before leaving, searching for Kei like he always had when he bumped into Yaku Morisuke.

“Oh, hello. I see you have finished setting up in Inuoka’s room.” The shorter man said, smiling.

“Yes. Thank you for letting us stay.” Tadashi replied, bowing out of respect.

Morisuke only laughed. “It’s fine. It’s nice to see some new faces once in a while.” He sighed. “I hope Shibayama helped you enough.”

“I hope we are not intruding.. It seemed like he wasn’t pleased with us sleeping inside the room. Or I have simply mistaken and overanalyzed his body language.”

The look on Morisuke’s face darkened slightly. “Inuoka  _ was  _ Shibayama’s boyfriend. Well, until he got killed in cold blood.”

Tadashi froze. Oh shit. He thought. He did not mean to unlock any unpleasant memories. In an instant, he bowed down apologetically. 

“I know you didn’t mean it.” Morisuke brushed it off, smiling to assure the other. “Besides, all of us will have a traumatic story because of this job.”

“Yeah…”

_ “Yaku-san. The kid’s waking up.”  _ buzzed Morisuke’s radio.

Immediately, he grabbed his radio and talked to it. “Which one?”

_ “Orange kid.” _

“Kenma, make sure he stays awake.”

_ “Sure. He’s in a blur right now.” _

“It’s better than him being dead.” Morisuke said, ending the conversation with a sigh.

Tadashi had heard the entire conversation and beamed. “Is Hinata okay?”

“From what I heard from Kenma, I’m pretty sure he is. I’ll just have to check on him. Want to tag along?”

“Yes, please! Take me along, Yaku-senpai!”

Morisuke blushed a light red. “S-Senpai?! Please don’t do that. Just call me Yaku-san. I’m not that any superior.” He fumbled. “Anyways, let’s head to Medbay to see that friend of yours.”

With that, Tadashi trailed along, leaving Hisashi and Kazuhito in their shared room.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Koushi opened a can of grape juice as he waited for Chikara to come by Cafeteria. After what seemed to be a long discussion with Tetsurou, he decided to take a break and convey the message to Chikara. He wrapped his fingers against the can and sighed.

He’s exhausted and it’s only past one pm. 

Koushi just wanted to snuggle up in his bed, sleeping with not a single care for the world. 

Well, it’s not like he could do that when they were tangled in this mess.

Tetsurou’s words kept repeating in his head. He sounded logical. There were two possibilities. Nishinoya Yuu being the imposter or that there are more than one imposter that having a medical specialist wouldn’t be a hindrance to their mission. It’s either one. Or could it be both? 

The vice-captain groaned at the amount of thinking he had to do. He had used his brain too much the past few weeks, he doubted his brain could function normally soon. A few soft steps indicated that Chikara was arriving, alongside Hisashi who made his way to the vending machine.

It amazed Koushi how Nekoma managed to keep the food in the vending machine fresh even after months of drifting away in space.

“Hello, Suga-san.” Chikara said, taking a seat across the older.

“Hi. How’s the rest doing?”

“Settling in. Asahi is with Fukunaga at Reactors.”

Koushi took a long sip before asking. “What for?”

“Apparently, Fukunaga is the chemical engineer here like Asahi himself. He makes the fuel here.” Chikara explained.

Hisashi walked out of Cafeteria with a bottle of strawberry drink in his hands, bowing with respect as he excused himself. 

“Anyways, what did Kuroo say? He seemed intimidating.” Chikara asked, grabbing the can from Koushi’s hands and taking a sip himself.

“Turns out he knew a whole lot more about impostors than we do.” Koushi started. “Obviously. But it creeped me out a bit when I heard what he told me.”

“What was it?”

“You seem awfully eager, Ennoshita.”

“And you seem awfully suspicious not wanting to share what Kuroo said.”

Koushi tsked. “Sure. Nishinoya might be the impostor. There might be more than one impostor among us.”

Chikara sighed. “Shit. More than one?”

“More than one.”

“So that’s how we got deaths running so fast.”

“Exactly.”

They fell into a short silence, trying to digest what had been revealed. Koushi shook the contents of his drink and let out a shaky breath. He couldn’t imagine the fear that Daichi felt when he was killed.

“Then how the fuck did they kill unnoticed?” Chikara snapped, unhappy. “How were we unable to catch even  _ one _ ?”

“I don’t know. But one thing Kuroo told me to watch out was the vents.” Koushi said softly, making sure no one nearby could hear him. 

“Vents?”

“The vents are large enough to fit an average sized man. They can move about through vents.”

The younger one visibly shivered, creeped out. “Hell. Vents? Seriously? Gosh I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” He said, disgruntled. “Not like I have been sleeping anyway.” He added quickly.

“Yeah, it’s disturbing but yes, the vents. Kuroo told me that their impostor moved around through vents.” Koushi explained, hanging his head low. “Maybe that’s how Kageyama got hurt.”

“Probably.”

“Well, long story short we gotta watch for the vents. At least that solved a small percentage of our mystery. We still don’t know why we aren’t able to catch even one.”

The silver-haired man sighed for the umpteenth time that day and gulped down the remains of his drink before getting up to leave. As a responsible vice-captain, he decided to check on his members. 

But first, he needed a short nap before he could proceed for the day.

_ “Suga-san!” _

Poor man screenshot. He grabbed his radio and looked at it, offended. Chikara was too numb to cackle at the look on Koushi’s face.

“What is it?”

_ “It’s Hinata!” _

“What happened?!”

_ “He’s awake! Barely there but awake!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoyo's awake !!


End file.
